Description: The rapid economic development of Asia has ushered in profound lifestyle changes, particularly in urban centers. Increased disposable income, urbanization, and the proliferation of convenient food services have contributed to dietary habits associated with elevated health risks. Among these, insulin resistance (IR)—a metabolic condition linked to diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases—has emerged as a critical yet underrecognized threat. IR is also strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. For life and health insurers operating in markets such as Greater China and Southeast Asia, traditional underwriting methods face significant challenges in accurately assessing these evolving risks. This article investigates the limitations of conventional approaches and explores the potential of continuous underwriting methodologies to better align risk assessment with dynamic lifestyle factors.

Description: The life insurance industry has experienced dramatic changes since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020. Growing competition, a rise in online shopping, and the impact of COVID-19 have all led to an increase in contactless and completely digitized life insurance options. At Policygenius, we wanted to dig deeper into these big industry changes and better understand how they affect life insurance buyers. What our 2022 life insurance trend report found was a changing industry, making tremendous strides, and creating even better pricing and policy options for customers.

Description: Written in reaction to the AG49-A "quick-fix" passed, this article covers the history of IULillustration regulation. It begins by covering major product development and regulationmilestones to date, with numerical examples to show their impacts on illustrations. It thenexplains how the "quick-fix" works and what its impact on illustrations is. Lastly, the articlelooks forward to what could be in store in the future for IUL illustrations.

Description: A discussion on technology improvements in establishing compliance with sections 7702 and 7702A. The Internal Revenue Code defines life insurance using actuarial tests that limit the investment in a life insurance contract as compared to the death benefit. Inadvertant failures of the actuarial tests can be uncovered by testing in order to enable remediation.

Description: The Society of Actuaries Research Institute, in collaboration with Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated, a leading global life and health reinsurer, announced findings from new research on behavioral science for the life insurance sector. This research simulated online term life insurance purchasing to test behavioral science techniques.

Description: The limited availability of life and protection cover for people living with certain serious health conditions is starting to become a critical issue for insurers. The public perception is that insurers simply don’t offer cover, or that it is difficult to source affordable, tailored cover. This article discusses the considerations when trying to improve access to insurance.

Description: It is with great pleasure that we announce the winner of the “2024 Best Article” in Reinsurance News. Amongst a pool of exceptional articles, the article “What Does the Future of Mortality Look Like?” submitted by Adam Jedynak and Connie Cheng was chosen by the jury as the victorious submission. The article appeared in the June 2024 issue of Reinsurance News. It explores recent shifts in mortality, including post-COVID excess mortality, and looks at the impact of medical advancements and societal changes on mortality.