Archive for September 22nd, 2007
In writing an article on gestational diabetes for our new website that will go live this coming week, I was discussing risk factors and up pops obesity……again. It seems that almost without fail, no matter what the health issue, obesity either helps cause it or exacerbates the problem.
- Obesity is a major contributing factor in type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
- Obesity is a major contributing factor in heart disease.
- Obesity is a major contributing factor in strokes.
- Obesity is a contributing factor in several kinds of cancer such as colon, breast, uterine, kidney and esophagus. Some studies also show a link to gallbladder, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.
- Obesity is a major factor in high blood pressure, hypertension.
- Obesity is a major factor in dyslipidemia, elevated cholesterol and triglyicerides.
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Obesity is a major factor in sleep apnea.
Are you starting to understand why I have been following weight loss reality shows in an effort to get the word out? Are you getting a sense that this is a passionate issue for me? Every one of those 7 is a major health issue. Every one of those 7 can shorten or end your life, leaving a family without a husband or wife, mom or dad. Every one of those 7 can make it harder, if not impossible, to get life insurance to protect your family.
Bottom line. Obesity isn’t the warning siren before the tornado. It is the tornado. The collateral damage it can cause is unfathomable if left unchecked. Reality shows like Biggest Loser aren’t about losing weight to lose money, but rather showing that losing weight and taking control of your life and future is possible. You don’t have to have a state of the art gym and a trainer, you just need to decide that the list above is worth avoiding.
September 22nd, 2007
Not too long ago I discussed life insurance exam labs results. I mentioned that the tests were not always tests that would lead to a diagnosis of a specific problem, but were tests that often exposed the tip of the iceberg, where a more serious problem might lie hidden beneath.
One such case would be with the liver function test call a GGT, Gamma Glutamyl Transferase. This isn’t a test that you would normally find on your annual exam with your doctor. The truth is that doctors don’t run it and don’t see the value in it. They say it is too “nonspecific” to be of value.
The GGT simply put, measures irritation of the liver. Irritation of the liver can be caused by over the counter medication such as Ibuprofen. Elevation can be caused by drinking and of course, the irritation can potentially be just the beginning stages of something more serious such as cancer.
One of the most common culprits for an elevated GGT is heavy drinking. Not so heavy that extensive liver damage has been caused, but heavy enough that your liver is pretty irritated……at you. For this reason, when there is an elevated GGT on an insurance exam, there is a standing order to run a back up test called a CDT, Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin. The CDT is known in the industry as an alcohol marker, a very reliable test for detecting heavy drinking. For those with a more clinical or inquisitive mind, here is an article that discusses liver functions and alcohol abuse in more detail.
Life insurance underwriters don’t mince words when it comes to a positive CDT. A positive CDT means that you are knocking back 4-5 drinks or more per day on an ongoing basis. It wasn’t caused by that party over the weekend. Binge drinking won’t cause a positive CDT. So the word from the underwriter that won’t be minced, or misunderstood, will be decline.
There was a company in the not too distant past that felt so strongly about the GGT being alcohol related, that if you had a DUI or alcohol treatment anywhere in your past, even 30 years in your past, even if your CDT was negative, and your GGT was elevated, it was an automatic decline.
Bottom line. Alcohol abuse has been shown in so many ways to have a negative impact on mortality, that life insurance companies simply don’t want to have anything to do with it if they can detect it up front.
September 22nd, 2007
For the next several weeks I will be occasioanally giving information on the companies that I use. Each of these companies has a strong point or they would’t be in my portfolio. Each of them has weak points and these are things I consider when I am “shopping” for my customers.
In addition the sharing some of the company underwriting strong and weak points, I will also provide a “Company Snapshot” that will give you some insight into each company’s history, ratings, financial strength, etc. I hope this information will be useful or at least give you some idea of how I choose a company when I am considering a choice for a customer.
Genworth Life and Annuity leads off. Formerly First Colony Life, a wholly owned subsidiary of GE Financial.
genworth-life-and-annuity.pdf
Genworth has, over the past 10 years or so, never fallen out of competition as far as offering some of the best rates in the industry. They are one of a handful of companies that has probably never fallen out of the top 10 during that time period. As competitive as the term insurance market has been during that period, to constantly keep a company in that position says something about how committed they are.
Genworth has always had strong underwriting in three main areas. First, their allowances for cholesterol have been the industry leader since cholesterol was invented. For their best rate class, where most companies use a guideline for total cholesterol at 205 to 220, Genworth is at 240.
Genworth has always been very fair about situational depression or anxiety issues. I’m not talking about more serious or chronic situations, but situational. Some examples of situational are when a family member dies or you lose your job and your doctor prescribes something to help you through the adjustment period. Generally, if all other risk factors are good, Genworth will be one to two rate classes better than the competition.
Another area where they are good, and in my mind, could stand to strive for greatness, is with private pilots. In general, they will offer an instrument rated pilot preferred rates. They are, on average, less abusive than most companies on VFR pilots and students, but I would like to see them step up a notch in this area.
Genworth is one of the top two companies for scuba divers. They are very friendly down to 100′ where most companies get weird on you after 60′ or 75′.
Another area where Genworth stands out is the fact that they are one of only a few of the top companies that will write term insurance below $100,000 face amount. They are also very competitive in the universal life field.
I promised that there are no perfect companies out there. Genworth is weak on their underwriting for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. They fall right into the middle of the pack, a place I avoid when working for my clients.
Bottom line. Genworth Life and Annuity is highly rated and competitive. They have carved out niches and have held their ground in those areas.
September 22nd, 2007
