Grouping of Japanese professionals brainstorming in a glass walled office
Articles March 2019
The Future of Insurance Product Development in Japan: Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP Product Development Survey

Where is product development for insurance headed in Japan? Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP asked 30 major Japanese insurers in a comprehensive survey, and the company also conducted a complementary survey of approximately 4,800 policyholders of life products in Japan. The results were ill...

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Genetics coding and DNA
Articles March 2019
Polygenic risk scores – A useful tool in our risk prediction toolkit?

The wider implications of recent advances in genetics and genomics, including polygenic risk scores, need to be considered in the context of the protection industry. Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Heather Lund and Richard Russell explore the topic in depth in the Journal of the Asso...

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Eyeglasses looking at data
Articles March 2019
TransUnion’s TrueRisk® Life: Creation and Validation of the Industry’s Leading Credit-Based Insurance Score
Similar to the protective value analysis Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP completed on other key data sources used in life insurance underwriting, such as motor vehicle records and prescription drug scoring, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP’s goal was to understand the relationship of credit to mortality outcomes. Given credit... Read More
Fetal ultrasound
Articles March 2019
Global Health Brief: Fetal Testing
For more than half a century, ultrasound and Doppler have been the two main technologies used to administer screening and diagnostic tests during pregnancy. Explore these technologies with Dr. Elizabeth Gil Agular in Global Health Briefs. 

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Watercolor image of counseling between two people
Articles March 2019
Case Management: Oh No, Now What! When Mental Health Affects Medical Case Management

Discussing a medical condition with a stranger – such as a case manager – can be daunting. This is doubly difficult when it comes to feelings of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.  Melinda Baxter of the ROSE® Consu...

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View of a credit card transaction
Articles March 2019
Modernizing Insurance Fraud Prevention

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP kicks off a four-part series of articles on the topic of fraud in ON THE RISK, the Journal of The Academy of Life Underwriting. Featuring experts from insurance and other industries, the series will explore new ways fraud is being committed and share bes...

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Dubai Middle East Outlook
Articles March 2019
Middle East Outlook: Key Life Insurance Industry Product Trends
Life insurance remains a tough sell in MENA, but changes are afoot, creating opportunities for players able to adjust their strategies for business development. Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Tamer Saher spoke to Read More
Articles March 2019
Global Claims Views: Suicide Trends and Risk Factors
Around 800,000 people commit suicide every year1 – one person every 40 seconds. Suicide has a profound impact on family and friends that are left behind following the unexpected death of a loved one. Explore risk factors. Read More
A woman at work in a busy office
Articles March 2019
The Changing World of Work

This is especially true in the world of work, as we find that occupations and industries that existed for decades are now slowly falling away: think landline telephony in this era of smartphones, or VCRs and video rental stores in the age of Netflix and online streami...

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Immunotherapy illustration
Articles March 2019
Precision Medicine and Targeted Cancer Therapy

Genomic medicine promises to change the way oncologists assess, treat, and follow patients with cancer. How will advances in targeted drug therapy, including immunotherapeutic agents, influence the mortality and morbidity of certain cancers? Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Dr. Lisa Duckett sh...

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Child receiving oxygen ventillation
Articles March 2019
Juvenile Asthma

The chronic respiratory condition asthma poses unique challenges when it appears in children. Elite Sales Processing Chief Underwriting Officer Dennis Gunderson shares what every underwriter should know about the causes, symptoms, treatment and mortality risk of juve...

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Graphic of cancer cells
Articles March 2019
Cancer and the Statistic of One
Rapid medical advances, as well as growing volumes of health and mortality data, are transforming cancer risk assessment. Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Neil Parkin explores our deepening understanding and insurance implications.   Read More
Broken Heart: Illustration of person seated over broken heart shaped rock
Articles February 2019
Hearts, Relationships, and Life Insurance
In this age of amazing medical advances, it seems as though anything broken can be fixed.  In my native South Africa, the surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard proved that even defective hearts can be replaced when he performed the first heart transplant in 1967.
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Research and White Papers January 2019
Lifestyle-Related Behaviors and Mortality: A Comparison of Physical Inactivity and Smoking
  • Lifestyle behaviors significantly contribute to health outcomes.
  • Physical activity improves longevity.
  • Smoking increases mortality rates.
  • Exercise cannot negate the negative impact of smoking.
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Group of sprouts
Articles January 2019
The Role of Persuasion and Behavioral Economics in Insurance
Digital transformation is at the top of most carriers’ agendas. But as life insurance sales move from the adviser to online channels, are we forgetting the science of persuasion? Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Matt Battersby explores the issues in Read More
Articles January 2019
Opinion: The Business Case For Underwriter Participation in Associations and Conferences

Are you interested in volunteering? Consider opportunities at these websites to learn more: 

  • On the Risk - https://www.ontherisk.com/
  • The Academy of LIfe Underwriting - https://alu-web.com/ 
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Diabetic sticks finger to measure blood sugar
Articles January 2019
Let's Help More People With Diabetes Get Life Insurance

While improved understanding of diabetes has extended lives around the globe, rising incidence poses a growing challenge. How should insurers incorporate technology and data-driven insight to develop products? Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Dan Lyons and Neill Muller discuss the consideratio...

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Child eating vegetables and consumer engagement
Articles January 2019
Mind Your Manual (and Eat Your Vegetables)
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP's Tina Haertzen shares a new year's resolution for group insurers in Group Insurance Insights: maintain pricing discipline (and eat your vegetables!).
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Compass around map
Articles January 2019
Digging Into Your LWOP Block

Group insurers can unearth significant reserve savings by focusing more attention on their life waiver of premium (LWOP) block of claims. A 2018 Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP survey of 30 major group disability carriers in the United States and Canada reveals compelling insights into simple w...

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genetics with chemical formula and test tubes
Articles January 2019
The Time Is Now: Genomics and Genetic Testing
The life industry finds itself at an inflection point as insurers come under growing pressure to position themselves to embrace genomics and genetic testing. Best's Review explores the underwriting implications of rapid advances in genom...
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