Preferred UnderwritingPreferred UnderwritingMilner Internal Training Session

HTN- DefinitionHTN- Definition

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition commonly associated with narrowing of the arteries. This causes blood to be pumped with excessive force against the artery walls. It is a sign that the heart and blood vessels are being overworked.

HTN- EffectsHTN- Effects• Untreated, hypertension will cause the heart to

eventually overwork itself to the point where serious damage can occur. For instance, the heart muscle can thicken (hypertrophy) and function abnormally, or dilate and constrict less forcefully (dilated cardiomyopathy). There may also be injury to the brain, the eyes (retinopathy) and/or the kidneys (nephropathy). Hypertensive patients are also at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Most cases of high blood pressure have no cure, but the overwhelming majority can be managed and controlled with diet and medication.

HTN- PrevalenceHTN- Prevalence

• Hypertension is a major health problem in the United States, where more than 50 million people (1 in 4 adults) have the condition, according to the American Heart Association.

Underwriting Blood PressureUnderwriting Blood Pressure

• To determine the rating, the underwriter adds up and then averages all the BP readings for the last two years

• Taking HTN medications automatically eliminates you from the best category for all companies except Banner.

Family HistoryFamily HistoryDisease vs. DeathCardiovascular and Cancer

- Most companies count strokes as cardiovascular disease while others do not

Good Company Niches- FC will allow a client whose parent died of a stroke before age 60 into their Preferred Best category.- AIG only counts parents’ histories of CAD - Kemper counts family history of ovarian or breast cancer only for women and a family history of prostate cancer for men only

Bad Company Niches- Banner- a parent’s death from CAD or cancer before age 60 puts a client down to Standard- ING- requires no family history of CAD or cancer before age 70 to get their best class

Tobacco Tobacco UseUse

• Cigarette Use– Bad with Quitters

• It takes 3 years of being quit to get NT rates with ING, Zurich and FPENN

– Good with Quitters• It only takes 1 year

of being quit to get up to PNT with PRU, WCL, GEN AM and Mass M

• Alternate Tobacco Use

(use the cheat sheet)

LipidsLipids• Triglycerides

– Fat floating in your blood used for energy• Total Cholesterol• LDL (low density lipoprotein)

– Increases the risk of a heart disease• HDL (high density lipoprotein)

– Decreases the risk of a heart disease• Chol/HDL ratio

– The lower the ratio then the lower the risk for heart disease

Driving History• Auto accidents are the leading cause of death in

younger people.• Drinking and excessive speed are the major

contributors to driving fatalities.• When there is bad driving history factors like age,

lifestyle, job stability, financial status and alcohol/drug use can affect the rating.

• Most companies require a flat extra after a DUI, but some (like United of Omaha) allow one DUI with a good explanation about why it happened for Standard NT.

DDEEFFIINNEE

FFAATT

Who is Fat?

Fat KillsFat Kills• Almost 300,000 deaths a year in the US are linked to excess

weight. • Additionally, the percentage of overweight and obese Americans

has increased steadily over the last 25 years. • People who are obese have almost three times the risk for heart

disease as people with normal weights• Obesity is also associated with a higher risk for hypertension,

strokes, diabetes, certain cancers (esophageal, intestinal, kidney, and prostate), sleep apnea, and certain respiratory problems

• More than 50% of all deaths in US adult women can be attributed to obesity.