An Inconvenient Truth!

One of the most important factors in life insurance underwriting of significant health issues such as diabetes or heart disease is a person’s willingness to do what it takes to manage the health problem. If a person is compliant with their medical advice and keeps all the risk factors controlled, mortality experience improves and better life insurance rates follow.

Roche Diagnostics did a study recently that showed that 80% of adults say they would step up to the plate and do what it took to self manage a chronic illness. That would be great if it matched reality. In an article in Medical News Today , statistics show that those who actually do have chronic illness don’t do as well as others think they might at self management.

I don’t offer this to put any shame on those who are suffering from challenging health issues. I think the truth is that, like a lot of things in life, we tend to believe we can handle something we’ve never really experienced. We tend to think of these challenges in the context of making it through a day in someone else’s shoes. We don’t fully grasp that we might have to put those same shoes on every day for the rest of our lives.

Bottom line. Managing a chronic illness is hard work. If it’s not managed it will likely shorten your life expectancy. People who step up to that plate everyday have my respect and my prayers.

This post is somewhat dated. Life insurance underwriting is changing and evolving continually. For more updated information check out some of the key word links. If you have a specific question or topic you need information for do a search. If you don’t find the answers you need contact me and we’ll make sure you get the information that is important to you.