• Provide agents with the most current medical information they need to package and present their cases

• Provide agents with the most current medical information that will be of interest to their clients

• Provide agents with the most current medical information to improve their own health awareness

All baby boomers need to read this book!
Robert W. Griffith, MD
Editor, HealthandAge.com 

This book is a great gift for a financial advisor to give to all clients with senior parents.
Dick Bell, CLU, ChFC, President 2004 Society of Financial Service Professionals

Learn more and Order here

In more than 70% of coronary angioplasties today, a stent (a tiny metal structure that comes in a variety of sizes and designs) is used in conjunction with the balloon to keep the artery open.

There are two types of stents: bare metal and drug-eluting.  The first type of stent was bare metal and it reduced the rate of restenosis (i.e. reclosing of the coronary artery) by 50%.  The newest stents are called drug eluting because they have a slow-release drug coating embedded in a polymer.  The hope is that the addition of the drug will reduce even further the rate of restenosis. 

Two types of drugs are currently being used.  Sirolimus, an immunosuppressive agent, is used in Johnson and Johnson’s stent called CYPHER.  Paclitaxel is being used in Boston Scientifics’ stent called TAXUS.  These stents have become the overwhelming choice of cardiologists.

Bottom Line: Underwriting applicants with a history of coronary angioplasty (PTCA) includes the following:

1. Date and reason for PTCA (i.e. discovery of a blockage or treatment to stop a heart attack)?

2. Is this first PTCA or a repeat?

3. Was a stent used? 

4. Has the applicant had any follow up studies since the PTCA (i.e. thallium treadmill, stress echo)?

5. Current medications?

6. Has the applicant had either chest pain or an irregular heart rhythm since the PTCA?

7. What is the applicant’s smoking status?

8. Has the applicant made any life style changes since the PTCA (i.e. weight loss, dietary modifications, exercise program, etc.)?

9. What is the applicant’s family medical history for heart disease (i.e. any immediate family members with heart issues before age 60)?

10. What are the applicant’s total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol?

11. What is the applicant’s height and weight?

12. Does the applicant have any history of diabetes or pre-diabetes?

The more the underwriter knows, the better the quality of the offer…

A new study from The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (March 2005) shows that diabetic women can’t rely on diet alone to lose abdominal fat.

Thirty-three obese, postmenopausal women, average age 57, who had type 2 diabetes for at least one year were divided into three groups. 

One group was given a low-calorie diet high in “good fats” (i.e. olive oil), nutritional counseling, and weekly motivation and support meetings.

Another group was given a supervised aerobic exercise program of walking 50 minutes three times a week. 

The third group followed both programs.

They all received before and after MRI scans of their abdominal fat.

Diet alone did not reduce abdominal fat.  Only exercise alone or exercise plus dieting reduced abdominal fat.

Bottom Line: Postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes tend to be obese.  Losing weight offers positive benefits that can significantly improve their health.  Exercise is an essential part of an effective weight loss program for this population.

Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) is indicated for the treatment of acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder.  Its RiskTutor classification is Yellow (underwriting concerns).

Bottom Line: If an applicant is taking Seroquel, you need to gather additional information about their condition to insure your client gets

the best offer.  You can find essential background information for life insurance agents on this disorder and key screening questions at this previous RiskTutor Underwriting Newsletter link: Underwriting Bipolar Disorder

Clients with bipolar disease are insurable but will require careful case preparation and presentation to get the best offer.

Male, 56, Professed Non-smoker, $2,000,000 Individual Coverage
Height 6’ 1”, Weight 203 lbs
Current Medications: None

The applicant indicated he was a “previous smoker” but had quit smoking over two years ago.  His urine test for life insurance was “positive” for nicotine and he was offered smoker rates.  He refused the policy and told the agent that the nicotine finding in his urine was the result of “second hand smoke” from being at a bar the night before his insurance examination.

Discussion: Two items about this case are important: the smoking history and the assumption that second hand smoke can cause a urine test to be positive for nicotine.  Prior smoking is a risk factor for resumption of smoking or use of other tobacco products.  It is not unreasonable to assume the client may have used a tobacco product prior to his insurance examination.  The threshold used by life insurance labs for measuring nicotine in the urine is too high to be influenced by second hand smoke.  Second hand smoking did not cause the client’s “positive” nicotine test.  Finally, the “chain of custody” (the bar code on the urine sample container that allows the sample to be tracked from the time it was taken until the moment it is analyzed at the lab) was verified as “in tact.”  The only conclusion was that the client had used a tobacco product at some point prior to the insurance examination.