Blog | Gen Re

Our Perspective

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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Mortality and Morbidity at the End of Life’s Road

By Jean-Marc Fix |June 20, 2019|English

How long will I live? It’s a question that humans have pondered since the dawn of time. From palmistry to the latest health fads, we have found more or less satisfactory answers. Those of us in the Life industry, as students of mortality, are...
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Can Suicide Risk Be Significantly Influenced by Underwriting?

By Dr. Chris Ball |June 06, 2019|English | Español

Suicide often leaves the bereaved with more questions than answers. Many will find it difficult to ever understand why such a drastic step was taken. The risk factors for suicide traditionally considered by life insurance underwriters are highly influenced...
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Why Do Some People Survive to Age 100? - An Actuary’s Perspective

By Beata Puls |May 29, 2019|English | Deutsch

Developing reliable life tables is one of the most important objectives for life insurance companies. Mortality rates for single ages are usually very small numbers and we need a rather large sample size to obtain reliable estimates. Otherwise, they...
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Small Changes, Big Impact - How Behavioral Economics Can Improve Life Insurance Application Medical Condition Disclosures

By Heidi Alpren |May 20, 2019|English

Small changes can sometimes have a big impact. This is particularly true in the realm of Behavioral Economics. At its core, Behavioral Economics (BE) challenges the traditional economic theory that individuals are sound and rational (“slow”)...
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Are Centenarians Different - or Just Lucky?

By Jean-Marc Fix |May 10, 2019|English

Centenarians are rare, but they are among the fastest growing population segments in the U.S. and throughout the developed world - and what is rare is special. But why are they special? Unfortunately, we humans are better at rationalizing than at rational...
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