Featured Article

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Underwriters

Thu, 03/09/2017

After three forgettable years as a competition analyst in the agency department, I became a novice life underwriter at Northwestern Mutual on October 10, 1973.

robot
La Momia Azteca Contro El Robot Humano (1958 - Public Domain)

The ensuing 522 months have afforded me the privilege of witnessing first hand the evolution of our profession and in so doing to marvel at the ever-accelerating pace of change.

Clearly, there are reasons – and reasons within reasons – why this frenetic process will intensify over the near-term future with profound implications for us, both individually and collectively.

The phenomenon dubbed “artificial intelligence” could (and likely will) be one of the most impactful in terms of how our profession’s future sorts out by the mid-2020s.

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artificial intelligence
employment
Life
life insurance
Underwriting

News

Electronic Health Records: Is Blockchain a Good Fit?

Mon, 09/11/2017

Even though paper records for most medical practices have evolved to digital, all of that data currently resides in silos, where consumers attempt to reconcile data among their providers and health payors. This can be challenging, as there is no single source that identifies where all of an individual’s health data resides, let alone the order in which it was entered.

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Electronic Health Records: Is Blockchain a Good Fit?
electronic medical records
technology
blockchain

Cancer Risks: Are We Getting Them Right?

Mon, 09/11/2017

Researching cancer mortality over the past few months has proved to be a bit of an eye-opener, and in three ways: firstly the level of excess mortality seen in a number of cancers, secondly the duration over which an extra risk persists, and thirdly that excess mortality may extend over a considerable period.

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Cancer Risks: Are We Getting Them Right?
Underwriting
cancer underwriting
Risk Management (General)
mortality risk

Look Who's Fighting Our Algorithmic Overlords

Mon, 09/11/2017

A scientist has come up with a way to measure whether an AI is biased.

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Look Who's Fighting Our Algorithmic Overlords
artificial intelligence
big data
technology
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Milliman

An Update on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Mon, 09/11/2017

This article will provide a contemporary perspective of HCM, including potential treatment modalities and how its risk is currently stratified. Aspects of this condition that present particular challenges for the insurance underwriter will also be described.

Note: This article begins on page 2.

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An Update on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Underwriting
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Digitization in the Insurance Industry - Opportunities for the Application Process

Mon, 09/11/2017

Digitization has spread to every aspect of our personal and professional lives - including, of course, the insurance industry. It affects all sorts of different areas: from interfaces with end-customers and brokers, to wearables like fitness trackers that are supposed to encourage customers to behave in a more self-aware way.

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Digitization in the Insurance Industry
Life
life insurance
technology
digital

Impaired Risk Review: Mycosis Fungoides

Mon, 09/11/2017

Generally we think of lymphoma as a blood cancer (like Hodgkins and non-Hodgkins disease)—diagnosable diseases from blood testing and lymph node involvement.  Occasionally, the lymphomas may arise from primary skin disease.

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Impaired Risk Review: Mycosis Fungoides
Mycosis Fungoides
impaired risk
cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
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apptical_logo

It’s Time to Future-Proof Your Data, Systems and Culture

Mon, 09/11/2017

The long-term prospects of most Life and Health insurers are going to be determined by their ability to transition from a product-based approach to a customer-centric value proposition. But, if they’re going to make that leap, insurers will have to know more about their customers, their behaviors and decision-making processes.

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It’s Time to Future-Proof Your Data, Systems and Culture
Life
Health
technology
Customer service

Where Do Life Insurance Products Go Next?

Mon, 09/11/2017

As we look at a world in flux, it’s important to remember that the only constant is change. Technology is a good example, as it has a far-reaching impact on other industries.

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Where Do Life Insurance Products Go Next?
Life
life insurance
product development
technology

Earning Customers for Life (LOMA Resource)

Mon, 09/11/2017

Providing an excellent customer experience is more important than ever as a strategic differentiator for insurance companies. Here’s what it takes to provide a customer experience that leads to brand insistence.

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Earning Customers for Life
Life
life insurance
LOMA
Customer service

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Articles

Avoiding Early Cancer Claims Part 1

Thu, 09/07/2017

Slides from Hank’s four unique lectures on Avoiding Early Cancer Claims (October, 2016) are being posted. One set will be added every couple weeks. This is presentation #1.

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cancer
Underwriting
Claims
insurability

Productivity Obsession in Underwriting Management: Report of an Unpublished 2016 Survey 

Fri, 01/13/2017

“Over the last several years, things began to change. Then, within the last 12 months, they became so intolerable that I had to leave” 

Senior Life Underwriter Personal Communication October 2016 

owry - Going to Work
L S Lowry - Going to Work (1943)

This veteran senior underwriter approached me, seeking to talk about why she left a promising career in a prominent life insurer.

I emphasize that this was wholly unsolicited. 

Being fairly well known within the underwriting community and also because I publish the monthly e-magazine Hot Notes©, it is not unusual for me to be contacted by underwriters. And I put aside whatever I am working on to respond to all questions and concerns raised by my peers. 

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Life
management
productivity
Underwriting

Cystatin C: Is it Ready for Underwriting “Prime Time”?

Wed, 08/17/2016
Cystatin C
Crystal structure of human cystatin C monomer (Author: A2-33 - CC BY-SA 3.0)

Our paper, “Cystatin C: A Promising Test for Insurance Screening,” was published in early 2009. At that time, most studies about this test were focused solely on its role as a novel kidney disease marker.

In the interim, several hundred new studies have greatly expand- ed our knowledge about cystatin C in a broad range of contexts. For this reason, a new comprehensive literature review is needed if we are to understand the true underwriting implications of this test.

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cystatin C
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apptical_logo

Underwriter Education: Reflections and Realities

Tue, 10/13/2015
mortarboard
Barnard College - 1902 Yearbook (Public Domain)

Kristin Ringland, FALU (SCOR Global Life Re) presented data and analysis based on a recent AHOU survey on underwriting education and training.

I encourage everyone to read Kirsten’s excellent article (volume 31, number 3, pages 44-48).

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Education
training
Underwriting

Reinsurer Leadership in Uncertain Times

Wed, 05/13/2015
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David - Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801)

A presentation at a recent underwriting gathering was billed as being focused on the use of predictive analytics in contexts other than risk appraisal.

Feedback from several attendees suggests it was just the opposite, centered largely on their deployment in underwriting.

So much for the verisimilitude of at least some session descriptions!

Fact is, insurers are presently being inundated with risk screening options no one would have imagined possible a decade ago. The developers of some of these tools are aggressively promoting their deployment in the underwriting process.

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Life
life insurance
Reinsurance
Underwriting

Bilirubin: Implications in Life Underwriting

Tue, 03/17/2015
Bilirubin
Ball-and-stick model of the bilirubin molecule as found in the crystal structure (Ben Mills - Public Domain)

Bilirubin is a potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory agent. While bilirubin levels tend to be lower in cigarette smokers, the adverse effects of low/below normal bilirubin impact both smokers and nonsmokers.

High normal/elevated bilirubin has been convincingly linked to a significantly lower risk of circulatory diseases, diabetes and other prevalent medical impairments. Conversely, low normal/below normal bilirubin levels are now a well-established marker for increased risk of these diseases and their complications. 

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bilirubin
Life
life insurance
Underwriting
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