screening

In this whitepaper, multiple RGA experts address the status quo of testing for the purposes of early disease detection and look forward to the future of screening. 
 

Many of today’s older-age evaluations include additional screenings to measure cognitive and frailty risks: clock drawing, delayed word recall and walking speed. These assessments may add time to the application process and increased cost for the insurer. However, recent studies indicate they could be replaced with a simple blood test: Cystatin C.

The question we hear from underwriters is: is it financially feasible to screen all life applicants for opioid use? The intention of this paper is to provide context for these concerns by exploring various screening options, and to provide a cost-benefit analysis that can assist underwriting departments in determining when to use such screening tools. 

Inevitably we see cases in underwriting where the applicant has had an abnormality in a screening test and the follow-up testing is in progress or has been inconclusive. Those individuals are often postponed, while other applicants with similar characteristics who are not undergoing screening tests sail through the underwriting process without a second thought.

This article reviews key advances in the management of non-small-cell lung cancer and the clinical gains in outcomes as well as the ability to deliver personalized cancer treatment.

Understanding the association between persistent cervical infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and the development of cervical cancer is fundamental when underwriting cases where HPV is present. This article explores the latest research and relationship.

In present-day life-insurance medical underwriting practice the risk assessment starts with a standard health declaration (SHD). Indication for additional medical screening depends predominantly on age and amount of insured capital. From a medical perspective it is questionable whether there is an association between the level of insured capital and medical risk in terms of mortality. The aim of the study is to examine the prognostic value of parameters from the health declaration and application form on extra mortality based on results from additional medical testing.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145891

The trend of cancer incidences is one of the key questions for developing critical illness (CI) and cancer insurance products with a sustainable price. One of the identified (risk) factors is the availability and/or introduction of screening programs for cancer, which will impact the level of detection of early cancers and can lead to strong increases in incidences. Among the common cancer screenings available, breast cancer is one of the key cancer types representing around 25% of all female cancer incidences.

http://www.scor.com/images/stories/pdf/library/scor-inform/SCORinFORM_Br...

Insurance blood testing for most, if not all, insurers includes a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test in males above a certain age range. Unlike testing for diabetes or kidney or liver disease, however, the PSA test is more controversial. It allows insurers to price more aggressively with a favorable result and requires more investigation with a questionable one.

http://www.brokerworldmag.com/articles/articles.php?articleid=3728

Most men with prostate cancer die with the disease rather than of it. This is important to note, especially considering that today’s screening tests may pick up many potentially lower-risk cases.

http://www.munichre.com/site/marclife-mobile/get/documents_E-1442334258/...