Life

The RNS is not something from science fiction. It is one of a growing number of technologies that combine robotics, artificial intelligence, and connected devices to bring a new level of technological sophistication to the physical world. Such tools will have huge implications for the life insurance industry.

Either through online application processes and simplified underwriting, or by more advanced data analysis – using, for example, facial recognition – the underwriting process is going to change. What the exact developments will be and how they finally affect our industry is not yet 100% clear.

Smoking cessation has been a large contributor to improving mortality over the past few decades and tobacco use, amongst adults and teens, is at an all-time low. However, the trend of vaping and e-cigarettes has exploded. What are the implications for insurers?

This update is based largely upon findings from our 2018 New Business Critical Issues Survey. It was conducted over a span of six months stating in October 2017. Chief underwriters from 93 insurers offering individually underwritten life insurance participated in this survey.

Liver enzyme testing (LFTs) are part of virtually every blood profile obtained on a potential insured.  They are also one of the leading causes of a completely unexpected rating or decline on a case.  Most clients do not provide a specific history for an elevation, and no broker or agent expects such an outcome with what seemed to be a clean history.  Knowing how to approach this situation can be key to a favorable underwriting outcome.

Is the promise of wearable technology too good to be true? Inclusion of wearables in life insurance products to date has not matched the interest. But advances hold great promise. RGA’s Julianne Callaway explores the power and perils of these promising devices in Digital Insurance. 

Seasonal influenza is a unique public health conundrum: its epidemics are annual, yet even with the wealth of epidemiologic data now collected on it, predicting its activity and severity still remains a significant challenge. Recent modeling suggests that the global burden of influenza is worse than previously thought, accounting for up to 600,000 deaths annually.

What effect will changing—and challenging—economies, politics, and regulations have on life insurance companies worldwide?

Eat your vegetables. Stay active. Avoid smoking. Keep out of the sun. Patients have been hearing this good advice from their doctors for a long time. Now, researchers are uncovering new evidence that our lifestyle choices can measurably influence mortality risk at a genetic level. Learn more about the emerging science of epigenetics in a two-part interview and the webinar “Epigenetics and Liquid Biopsies: Fact, Fiction or Both.”