For years there has been plenty of debate in the medical community over the best measure for diagnosis of diabetes, or more specifically, which test gives the most accurate assessment for that diagnosis.
For years life insurance companies have used the A1c as a measure of whether a person is pre-diabetic, diabetic, and if they are diabetic, how well controlled the situation is. The reason they have used and I think the most valid argument for the medical community to use it as a baseline is that, simply put, it is less volatile than glucose testing.
A fasting glucose test, a snapshot at best, only tells the doctor what is going on at that very second in time. It is not unusual for someone who is undeniably diabetic to be able to produce stellar fasting glucose tests. On the other hand with the A1c, it is virtually impossible to miss the fact that, on average, a person’s glucose is running well above guideline normal.
Now with the major world diabetes organizations leaning toward using the hbA1c as the default test for the medical community, patients will have quicker, more accurate diagnosis which will lead to earlier treatment intervention.
As an aside, it will also lead to a little less fuss between insurance underwriters and medical practitioners. If adopted, the guideline discussed of making an A1c of 6.5 the guideline for diagnosis of diabetes will also match up with most insurance companies that work well with diabetes as their cutoff for their best rate class offered with the disease.
Bottom line. I think anyone that has been around diabetes for long knows just how whacky single glucose readings can be. Everyone will find adoption of the A1c to be a prudent move.
June 5th, 2009
The cost of being a private pilot can be staggering anyway you go about it. One area that you can keep the cost down in is your life insurance, if you do your homework and pick the right agent.
Student pilots face their first gut check when they find out, on average, that it will take $6000 to $8000 to complete the training for a private pilot’s license. That’s a serious cash commitment added to the time commitment it takes to complete the training. Another gut check can come from your spouse at this time when they ask to increase the amount of life insurance you have and to make sure that aviation is covered.
Good news on that front comes for those who are already adequately insured and had the insurance in force prior to making a decision to take up flying. It’s certainly prudent to check with your life insurance agent, but if the policy was purchased prior to aviation flying into your life, then in all likelihood it will be fully covered without making any changes. One of the great features of life insurance is that you don’t have to repurchase it any time something changes in your life. Again, a review by an agent will help you know the status on aviation. In you can’t find an agent, call your life insurance company directly and explain the situation to them and they will be able to guide you. If you do find that you need to purchase new coverage or additional coverage, the good news is that it can be done affordably through a few companies. Make sure you seek out an independent agent that knows where to take your business.
Once you have earned your ticket and are now a private pilot, well, this is when many find out if they were more fascinated than serious. This is when the cost of renting or owning a plane whacks you in the wallet and determines if that license will be a wall hanging or something that you seriously integrate into your life. This is also the next time that your spouse is going to broach the life insurance question.
Let me just interject some common sense at this point. If your spouse asks you to increase the amount of your insurance you really need to consider that question carefully. If you were adequately insured before, say with $500,000, you’re still adequately insured at $500,000. Just because you’re a pilot and have added that to the portfolio of possible ways to die, doesn’t mean that your death is somehow more monetarily challenging than it was before. But, as I said, consider the question carefully. It is possible that what your wife is saying is that she was willing for you to be under insured before, but with this new perceived danger in your life it’s time to bring your coverage up to where it should be.
This can actually be a useful tool for husbands. If you want to know if your wife is truly comfortable with the amount of life insurance you have in force, ask her if she would be comfortable with your current coverage if you took up flying. The good news is that as a VFR pilot with 100+ total hours in command and at least 26 in the last year, rates are going to be very good and competitive with those than you would pay even if you didn’t fly.
As you work your way up the next step is often an instrument rating and with 250+ total hours and again, at least 26+ hours annually to maintain proficiency, you are eligible for preferred plus rates with several companies. Again, a good independent agent is helpful here. Not all companies see eye to eye on this.
Bottom line. Private aviation is not a cheap hobby or avocation, but with some forethought and planning there isn’t any reason that your life insurance should make that any more of an issue.
June 5th, 2009
