If you have ever had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with me on a health interview, you might think I’m being just a bit too nosy. Not that I ask a lot of questions and I assure you that none of the questions go outside the scope of life insurance relevance, but I start the questions with “Have you ever”……been treated for or diagnosed with……

Most people either don’t care or aren’t paying attention anyway, but there are a few that remind me that their doctor, or their friend, or their mother told them that medical history didn’t matter after 5 years or 10 years, depending on their source.

The reason I ask and all agents should ask “Have you ever” is to get all the cards on the table. It may uncover some things that aren’t relevant to current underwriting, but it may also bring things to the table that you’ve filed as past history that in fact do have an impact on how your policy is underwritten.

A good example of an area where 10 years of history won’t lead to an accurate quote is with a history of cancer. With some cancers there can be an impact past 20 years. It all comes down to a company’s stance on any given issue.

So, why do I ask “forever” questions? My goal is to get you the best rate and I would be failing you if I used company X that cares about your colon cancer 23 years ago when company Y might be ready to let go of the issue after 20 years.

Bottom line. It is the job of the agent to know the companies and know their underwriting guidelines. It’s your job, as a consumer who wants the best rate possible, to arm your independent agent with all the information they need.