by Bernice Casey Senior Underwriting Consultant, Creative Life
There are a growing number of conditions that you need to keep an eye out for when completing your field underwriting as the overall health of Americans continues to change. For example, the results of the 2011 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index recently released indicate that approximately 26.1% of all Americans are obese. As we know, obesity is linked to several serious medical conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing problems like sleep apnea and even stroke. What you may not realize is that the presence of certain risk factors related to obesity can result in a client with metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome, also known as insulin resistance syndrome or Syndrome X, is a term used to describe a combination of three or more cardiovascular risk factors. These include obesity (specifically extra weight around the middle and upper parts of the body), hyperlipidemia (more specifically elevated triglycerides), low HDL cholesterol, hypertension (high blood pressure) and elevated blood sugar. A client with a combination of these factors faces an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and renal failure. Often, we’re finding that agents have identified these risk factors individually in a client, but haven’t put the pieces of the metabolic syndrome puzzle together.
If you are working with a client who has metabolic syndrome, he or she will likely be treated with medication that reduces insulin resistance, cholesterol and blood pressure. The client will also be encouraged to undergo lifestyle modifications to help lose weight, including limited caloric intake and a moderate exercise regimen. In other words, effective treatment is often implemented by addressing and treating individual risk factors.
You may run across cases where the individual risk factors mentioned are ratable by themselves but, conversely, it is not the risk factors themselves but rather the combined risk that can lead to a less than standard offer. That’s where the medical test results come into play. We can assess a client’s build, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar with the paramedical exam. If these are all within normal limits, we will make the best offer possible for the client. On the other hand, it is the increased prevalence of individual factors and their severity, combined with family history of coronary disease, ratable build, and/or the presence of cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes that may not be handled as favorably.
With the number of Americans with metabolic syndrome on the rise, it’s important to understand the individual risk factors and pay attention to the combination of such in a particular client. Keep in mind that the diagnosis is even more common in clients over the age of 60. If at any time you need assistance putting the pieces of this underwriting puzzle together, contact your Life Sales Team and continue to provide your clients with the best possible offer for their situation.
FOR AGENT USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC. 12244 – 2012/3/27