Our Perspective

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  Why It’s Time to Re-evaluate Cystic Fibrosis

  By Jon Parker |September 10, 2019|English

  Cystic fibrosis was rarely encountered by Life and Health underwriters until relatively recently. However, advances in our understanding of this inherited lung disease, and the emergence of more effective treatments, mean that children born with the...

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  Modeling Mortality at Older Ages - Benefits and Challenges

  By Jean-Marc Fix |August 19, 2019|English

  When one looks at a curve of the mortality rates by age in developed countries, we notice a very regular pattern. Especially the middle-age groups - age 30 to 70+, for example - seem to have close to an exponential curve in mortality rates. This observation,...

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  Genetic Testing Put Under the Microscope

  By Dr. John O'Brien |August 13, 2019|English

  Genetic testing is becoming more accessible and commonplace, with new genetic links to diseases regularly being identified. However, the many constraints on the use of predictive genetic tests in insurance means that the easy availability of direct...

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  Medical Advances and Reality Checks for Underwriters

  By Annika Tiedemann |August 06, 2019|English | Deutsch

  Earlier this year researchers at Heidelberg University Hospital announced the development of a blood test that can detect breast cancer cells in patients - with higher accuracy than mammography. Around the same time it was reported that a second and...

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  Understanding Mortality - Lessons From Older Ages

  By Jean-Marc Fix |July 31, 2019|English

  Mercifully, death happens only once to each of us. Nonetheless as I look at my Facebook feed, I can’t help but notice that death and disease are taking more and more space, surpassing news about weddings and births. You might say aging is an unfortunate,...

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  Genetic Testing - A Blessing or a Curse?

  By Annika Tiedemann |July 09, 2019|English

  The rise of genetic testing in recent years is fueling a debate in insurance circles over the potential risks versus benefits posed by the readily available genetic information. Insurers, physicians and consumer protection organizations all have strong...

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