impaired risk

Less than a year ago it would have been excessive, if not redundant, to issue a 90-day impaired risk underwriting update. Not so in 2020.
 

We’re used to seeing hypercholesterolemia as a known risk factor, but high triglycerides are also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Most cases of bronchial asthma are not an underwriting worry. It is a common disease, affecting between five to 10 percent of the population. But asthma is also becoming more concerning than it was ten or twenty years ago. Prevalence, hospitalizations, and fatal asthma cases have all increased, and there were close to 4,000 asthma deaths in the United States last year. Knowing which cases are the most concerning is the key to successful underwriting and case placement.

Life insurers were prepared to embrace the COVID-19 challenge. Most carriers had pre-planned models and analytics ready for such an eventuality. The companies immediately calibrated their responses to the pandemic and responded with their own versions of shutdowns through product withdrawals, price increases in some cases, age limitations, offer restrictions, and postpones for clients with pre-existing conditions.

Endometriosis is a condition where normal tissue that lines the uterine cavity is found outside the uterus, mainly in the area of the pelvis and the ovaries. It is a common source of pelvic pain in women, and is an increasingly diagnosed entity in workups for infertility.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a more aggressive form of liver disease. It is inflammatory in nature, is much quicker in disease progression than the standard type and may result in liver cirrhosis and failure. Both in clinical practice and in underwriting, NASH is under-recognized in its incidence. It actually affects up to five percent of the United States population and its prevalence is on the rise.

Undoubtedly, after hours and hours of CNN and network news coverage, we are all “experts” on coronavirus, something we likely knew nothing about entering this new year. How it spreads, what to do to avoid it, how to practice social distancing, sheltering in place—all part of our new vocabulary in this stressful time. Just as it affects our daily lives, it also affects life insurance applications and how we are handling different steps in the process.

When cardiac events occur, such as a heart attack or the need for a revascularization procedure, there is quantifiable risk that can be identified and priced for.
 

Marfan’s syndrome is a systemic connective tissue disease that is inherited. It is characterized by abnormalities of the skeletal, cardiovascular and ocular systems predominantly. 

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin condition that is characterized by bright red plaques, generally looking like silver scales, and most often present on elbows, knees and scalp.