Importance of Nutrition in the Elderly

Underwriting weight loss in the elderly is a critical , but often overlooked, factor of risk assessment. Clinicians in practice have seen the impact on their patients mortality first hand, they know that the picture of a robust elderly patient is one with a good appetite and exercise routine. Those that are prone to "frailty", reflecting a poor appetite, weight loss, and reduced activity levels are quick to decline in health and succumb to death earlier-even when overt medical impairments are not present.

A recent study out of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) followed 298 elderly patients (ages 70-82) over nine years and established a direct link between nutrition, Daily Activity Energy Expenditure (DAEE) and early mortality. Those with healthy appetites, good activity levels, and general well being lived longer . It showed that subjective review of appetite can predict death even after accounting for all other variables - including health.

So, the next time your underwriter tells you that they are concerned with the weight loss, lack of activity, and general picture of a "frail" elderly person-than you must appreciate that you are working with a well informed underwriter-even if it does affect your ability to get a policy sold. As for those with life settlement concerns, if this is not a risk factor that your life expectancy underwriter focuses on, than you best consider getting with one that DOES take these critical factors into account-otherwise, you may as well just assume everyone lives to age 95 (as most portfolio's and LE providers indicate) or 120 (according to the 2008 VBT) !

Underwriting Abbreviation of the Day: TNTC-Too numerous to count

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Welcome to UW-Q!

A personal welcome to the UW-Q, a resource for quick updates that affect risk selection - commonly referred to as medical underwriting and life expectancy underwriting.

You may wonder "Why choose such an obviously tittillating subject such as medical risk selection" to start a blog. Honestly, hasn't EVERYONE already covered this over-done subject?? Believe it or not, you have two groups of people that have the following thought when they hear the phrase "medical risk selection". they either think 1) "WTF" - translated into "what the fun" is this about and do I really care, or 2) "TMI"- translated into "too much inconsistency" but not quite sure why....other than it's KILLING my sale or KILLING my portfolio!

So, even though I knew exploiting this subject was like beating a dead horse, I thought I'd give it a whirl and attempt to shed some light on the various issues that affect the "Underwriter" i.e. "God of Risk Selection". As such, this blog will feature a number of little tidbits and updates from various sources that may cause shifts in underwriting philosophies and thereby cause shifts in mortality assumptions. I will attempt to provide insight on these shifts as they relate to both traditional life insurance underwriting as well as life settlement underwriting. And when all on that subject is said and done this will turn into a mere gossip rag-the "who's who" of the underwriting field - now THAT will be exciting!

Manana friends!

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