Blog | Gen Re

Our Perspective

Medical Advances and Reality Checks for Underwriters

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