Some Terms That You Might Come Across When Shopping and/or Applying For Life Insurance Coverage:
Attending Physician Statement (APS)
This is a copy of the proposed insured medical file from their doctor’s office. Insurance companies will often request this as part of the underwriting process to get a better gauge of the severity or diagnostic history of a particular health aliment.
Death Benefit
This is the agreement upon amount of money that the insurance company will pay to a beneficiary upon your death claim.
Face Amount
Another term for death benefit. See above.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)
Amongst other things, this law protects the privacy of your personal health information and requires that it can only be disclosed to third parties with your express written consent. So in order for the insurance company to request an APS, you must sign a HIPPA consent form first. The HIPPA consent form is usually included standard as part of a life insurance application.
Insurance Age
Many insurance companies will use your “insurance age” as appose to your actual age to determine your rate. For example, if you are currently 39 years old but your 40th birthday is 4 months away, they will rate you as a 40 year old person instead of a 39 year old. They base it on whichever birthday you are closest to.
Medical Information Bureau (MIB)
It is a member-owned not for profit corporation. It’s members are mostly insurance companies in the US and Canada. It serves as a medical information exchange, so as to prevent insurance fraud and errors. Much like your credit report, you can request a copy of your MIB report to insure its accuracy as consumer. www.mib.com
Motor Vehicle Report (MVR)
Many insurance companies will look at an abstract of your driving history to see if the proposed insured has a history of speeding and/or reckless driving behavior.
Paramedic
The person performing the paramedical exam.
Paramedical Exam
A physical exam ordered and paid for by the insurance company. Depending on the amount of insurance coverage requested and age of the proposed insured it can consist of a blood sample, urine sample, EKG, and/or a treadmill test. This exam is usually done in the comfort of the proposed insured’s home or office.
Prescription Pharmacy Check
A database containing any medical doctor prescribed prescription medication that you currently taking or have taken in the past.
Premium
This is the amount of money the insured in required to pay for the life insurance coverage.
Rider
These are different options that the insured may be allowed to attached to their life insurance policy to provide other benefits in addition to the life insurance coverage.
Save Age
This is where the insurance company will backdate the insurance policy to give you the benefit of paying the premium based on a younger age. This is particularly useful if the insured has just passed the half way mark between two ages.
Underwriting
This is the process the insurance company goes through using the APS, MIB, paramedical exam results and application to determine whether to make an offer or decline the application to the proposed insured’s request for life insurance.