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About LCBA
Christian fraternal organizations are common, but LCBA stands apart due to the fact that it was founded not by the usual group of men, but by women and for women in a time before women even had the vote. The Ladies Catholic Benevolent Organization was founded in 1890 in Titusville, Pennsylvania in order to provide assistance to women in financial need. The association became the first of its kind – a benefit society for women by women – and was only the second of its kind to be incorporated.
LCBA expanded and grew, reaching nearly 120,000 members by the early 1900s. In 1960 the group decided to open their operations to include male members as well, which resulted in a name change. In order to keep the LCBA acronym, the new name was Loyal Christian Benefit Association.
There are two ways to gain membership in the LCBA – by purchasing one of their products or by joining as an Associate Member at a local branch. LCBA is a Christian organization, but the website does not indicate that any specific religious affiliation is required in order to be a member. Membership comes with a long list of benefits, including newborn, orphan, and bereavement benefits, scholarships, and discount programs.
LCBA sells a variety of insurance and financial services products, including life insurance, funeral pre-planning, and supplemental health insurance products such as Medicare Supplement. They have products available in 35 states and D.C., although product availability varies by state.
LCBA Medicare Supplement
LCBA offers standardized plans A, F, G, and N. That constitutes less than half of the eleven possible letter-coded plans in the standard list.
Plan A is the base plan that pays for Part A and Part B coinsurance amounts and the first three pints of blood each year. These are considered basic benefits and all insurance companies that write Medicare Supplement insurance have to offer this plan.
Plan F is the full coverage plan – it has the most benefits and pays all of the out of pocket costs associated with Medicare. It also covers you for foreign travel emergency medical care. There is a high deductible version of this plan that makes it more affordable, but LCBA does not list it as an option.
The other two plans fall in between in terms of coverage. Plan N is a budget-friendly option offering lower monthly rates in return for copays on some services; it is often the most affordable plan.
Rates
LCBA has a contact form that can be used to request a rate quote but does not offer rates online. This is not an unusual setup for a faith-based membership society, as the representatives will often wish to discuss membership benefits and options with the potential new member.
Still, we have seen some smaller fraternal societies offer online quoting, and with LCBA’s modern and up-to-date website, a quick quote option seems a logical option to add. It would be beneficial to see them offer it in the future.
Claims
There is no mention of Medicare Supplement claims on the LCBA website, which again is about what we expect to see.
In general, Medicare Supplement claims are handled with the provider, so it is not at all unusual for the insurance company to leave any claims information off the website.
Ratings and Consumer Reviews
The LCBA is not rated by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) at the time of this review due to insufficient information to create a rating. There are no complaints and no reviews on the file.
There are a handful of reviews on the company’s Facebook page – 5 to be exact – with an overall 3.7-star rating. Only one of those reviews contains any detailed information, citing refusal to pay out on a policy. The rest are star ratings only without additional information.
There are no red flags in terms of this company’s reputation – complaint volume is low and we found nothing of concern in the reviews.
The Bottom Line
Without rates, we are unable to comment on the value offered by LCBA, but membership does come with a long list of benefits that add to that value. This company will appeal to those that prefer a faith-based organization with beliefs matching their own, and who are less concerned about rates than they are about the company’s service and values.
For a list of companies that we recommend, visit our Best Insurance Companies page.
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Review Information
I am a former insurance agent and banker turned consumer advocate. My priority is to help educate individuals and families about the different types of insurance they need, and assist them in finding the best place to get it.
Stacie Ma says
Eric — I am considering Loyal Christian Benefit Association for my Medicare Supplement policy, and trying to evaluate them as best I can. You gave them 3.0 rating for claims. Can you tell me something about how you came to that conclusion — what info you used or how you evaluated it.
Thanks.