Custom Disability Insurance Design

Once we have worked together to choose a carrier and policy design (benefits, riders, etc.), the next step would be applying and going through underwriting. (Don’t worry, requesting a PDF quote is not applying and any questions below you want to discuss are a separate item from the quotes themselves.)

“Underwriting” is the insurance carrier’s process of understanding your health and background so they can make you a formal offer of insurance.  After an application is submitted, this usually starts with a short health/lifestyle questionnaire (online or by phone) and their overall process may also include a review of medical records, prescriptions, driving history, and/or past insurance activity.  There will be varying items needed for the financial component of underwriting as well, depending on the individual.

We feel it’s important to say - how a doctor sees your health/condition and how insurance companies may view it in terms of risk can sometimes be vastly different.

Over time, we’ve seen a lot of things come up during underwriting.  This isn’t a complete list, but we do find it helpful for sparking questions and curiosities. 

Think of this as a conversation starter.  Our goal is to make sure you feel comfortable and informed before applying so there are no surprises once your application is in underwriting.

This section is optional, but really does help a lot at the outset:

Your mental health history is something an insurance carrier is going to ask about, along these general lines.

• Have you been diagnosed with (recently or previously); anxiety, depression, adjustment, ADD/ADHD, mental/mood disorder, substance abuse/recovery, etc.?
• In the last 5 years +/- (or currently); have you participated in any type of mental health counseling?
• Has there been a change to prescriptions, pertaining to mental health, in the last 3 years? [“Change” can mean starting, stopping, changing, increasing, and/or decreasing.]

This can be currently, in the past but currently a non-issue, “well-controlled”, “Doc says I’m doing great”, etc.

• Diabetes (Type I or II)
• Sleep apnea, insomnia, and/or other sleep disorders
• Heart issues and/or heart procedures
• Gastrointestinal issues (examples: Chohn’s, IBS, UC, etc.)
• Back issues, joint issues, and/or arthritis
• Migraines, frequent headaches, post-concussion issues/symptoms, TBI
• Autoimmune disease(s)
• Eye issues/diseases and/or eye procedures like laser-eye surgeries (things beyond normal corrective lens use)
• Cancer (to include skin cancer)
• High blood pressure, high cholesterol, or recent abnormalities in blood or urine screening
• Skin disorders (eczema, psoriasis, etc.)
• Needle stick
• Genetic testing that yielded results and/or a condition you and a Physician are actively/passively monitoring
• Currently taking prescriptions? (beyond basic birth control)
• Other diagnosed conditions/diseases not listed above
• Other surgeries / broken bones / chiropractic care / counseling / health / prescription items not listed above and/or something else you are curious about

• Currently pregnant (if so, congrats!)
• Participating in (or, have you participated in) fertility and/or IVF treatments/protocols?
• Had previous pregnancies that had complications and/or high risk factors and/or Cesarean section delivery(ies)?