Make That Underwriter Walk The Plank!

On the subject of fair life insurance underwriting I can certainly be found on both sides of he fence. Sometimes I think the underwriting consideration is completely fair, something that based on the information is something the client is just going to have to accept.

Then there are days like today. I have a client I’ve been working with who was treated rather poorly by a couple of companies due to some situational depression she has been working through. Both were companies that didn’t surprise me with their standard rate decisions so we shopped it and found a company that made a tentative offer of preferred plus.

Medical records were acquired and a rather fast approval at standard was offered by this company. They stated that they were fine with the depression, but that on labs done for her doctor a year ago she had an A1c of 6.1, a level that can be considered pre diabetic. She was wrestling with some weight issues at the time, about 15 pounds over where she would have like to be and the labs were taken just before Christmas. She admitted to poor eating habits and like the rest of us poor eating habits take a definite turn for the worse over the holidays.

She has lost 15 pounds in the last year and cleaned her diet act up a bit and her A1c is no longer in the pre diabetic range. It was in the normal range on the insurance labs. Her A1c had never been elevated before and her family has no history of diabetes. I spent an hour scouring her medical records for anything that could add to that stand alone elevated A1c and make it into anything more than it is, a warning shot across the bow. Her cholesterol and liver functions and kidney functions and everything were spot on normal in every set of labs she had.

She did the right thing and it had the expected result. She was never diabetic and in fact in six years of records she never even had an elevated glucose reading. I admit that there must have been some elevated glucose in order to get to a pre diabetic A1c, but give me a break. If she had high lipids a year ago and took the same steps to bring it back to normal, no harm, no foul. If she had high blood pressure in her records a year ago and took the same steps to bring it down, no harm, no foul. (Her last blood pressure was actually 110/60). If she had elevated liver functions a year ago and took the same steps, no harm, no foul.

I have written an appeal to the underwriter which they will receive on Monday and I will appeal it to the medical director if need be. If they all seem to be suffering the same malady I already have another company willing to go preferred plus.

Bottom line. Occasionally underwriters make too much of too little. I suppose we all do. But, if you’ve got an agent that can talk to the underwriters on your behalf, it doesn’t need to remain a bad outcome. If you have any questions or have been abused because of an isolated pre diabetic A1c, or you have diabetes and don’t feel like you’ve gotten a fair shake, call or email me directly. Let’s talk.