The answer is yes. AIG Direct is a good example. Cutting out the middle person (the agent) doesn’t lower your cost and can mean you aren’t finding the best rate. Life insurance prices are approved by the national association of insurance commissioners (NAIC) and are set so that agents, agencies and companies all charge the same rate. There are only a few companies that allow direct applications and the reason for that is that agents can provide ongoing service for a customer that life insurance companies don’t want to take on.