Excess Mortality Recedes, But Remains Above Normal
By: Doug Bailey
While the materialization of what the life insurance business calls “excess mortality” during the COVID-19 pandemic was not unexpected, its persistence has raised questions, including whether the elevated levels of death – and disability – are becoming the new normal?
Insurers Should Test for Post-COVID Mortality Risk, Group Says
By: Allison Bell
Insurers should screen their own insureds for mortality risk factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic, an industry group says. The group, the Insurance Collaboration to Save Lives, or ICSL, wants insurers to encourage insureds who get results on the voluntary tests to ask their doctors for advice.
"More Young People Are Dying, and Higher Mortality is in the Forecast The fix may be greater investments in wellness programs, according to experts"
By: Aaron Smith
Josh Stirling, founder of the Insurance Collaboration to Save Lives, said the website usmortality.com, which builds charts based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that excess mortality in the “age adjusted and standard population” rose 7.6% during the first week of August. The numbers are more dire when categorized by age groups. “If you care about the future, look at the younger people, because that’s really troubling,” said Stirling. “A 20% mortality rate is like a five-alarm fire,” said Stirling, in an interview. “It doesn’t happen very often.”
Why Are Death and Disability Rising Among Young Americans?
By: Pierre Kory and Mary Beth Pfeiffer
America has seen what one insurance insider calls an "open secret" of increased excess deaths—the number of people dying above what is expected. These shocking developments are surely contributing to ongoing labor shortages. People are leaving work at younger ages, in greater numbers, and from diseases seen mostly in later life.
We need an unbiased, nonpartisan investigation into this troubling trend. Record-high rates of incapacitation threaten our economy and signal continuing waves of early death.
Greater Health Screenings Could Save Life Insurers Money and Improve Mortality, Group Says
By: Terry Dopp
With excess mortality remaining higher even after the COVID-19 pandemic phase subsided, a nonprofit group advocating for more health screenings of insured populations said doing so could both save money for life carriers and lower death rates across the population.
Insurance Execs Form Nonprofit, Seek to Provide Life Insurers With Tests for Policyholders
By: Patricia Vowinkel
Dozens of insurance executives and industry officials have joined together to form a nonprofit that seeks to save lives and mitigate loss by providing life insurers with tests to screen . . .
Fight Against Excess Mortality: the Insurance Collaboration to Save Lives
By: Mary Pat Campbell
I describe the concept behind the group Insurance Collaboration to Save Lives, in which the financial interests of insurance companies (specifically, life insurance companies) align with helping people to live longer, sometimes with some relatively simple interventions to improve health outcomes. There are upcoming conferences and talks (some free!) so check out the show notes.
Screen, Test, Triage: How Life Insurers Can Help Reduce Excess Mortality
By: Josh Stirling
Helping high-risk members to identify and begin targeted interventions will prevent catastrophe, help members live longer and healthier lives, reduce untold tragedy, and greatly reduce the cost of these health events, for insurers and society.
Stirling Convenes Group to Address Excess Mortality; Seeks Industry Partners
By: Adam McNestrie
Former Bernstein equity analyst Josh Stirling has established a not-for-profit group aimed at developing an insurance industry response to the phenomenon of excess mortality that has extended beyond the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Insurance Industry Coalition Forms Non-profit to Study Baffling Excess Mortality
By: Doug Bailey
A coalition of insurance industry and healthcare leaders have formed a non-profit organization to help insurers combat the baffling rise in excess mortality.
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