Why should you be concerned about how an insurance company is rated?  It's very simple... The foundation of a life insurance policy is its promise to pay your beneficiaries a death benefit if you pass away.  If a company is poorly rated, their promise is diminished by a distinct lack of financial strength.  Much like a bank will not consider loaning a customer money to buy a home if they don't have a job or if there is demonstrated irresponsibility-- it simply isn't prudent to pay premiums to an insurance company who demonstrates a similar strain of shortcomings.

Below is a table that provides the possibilities with respect to insurance company ratings.  Seldom do we see companies prominent enough to consider offering with ratings below A- (A.M. Best).