Carrier News

At John Hancock Insurance we have taken the time to carefully review our underwriting practices to determine how we can evolve them in the current circumstances. While our normal underwriting practices continue, we are pleased to share three important ways we’re making it easier for you and your clients to secure coverage during these challenging times:

1. Establishing an alternative to paramed and/or exam when not obtainable

In cases where exams and labs are not possible, we may consider medical records as a substitute.1

1. For the following ages and amounts we will routinely consider recent and comprehensive medical records as an alternative to a current paramed or exam:
2. Face amounts up to $5 million for ages 18-65
3. Face amounts up to $3 million for ages 66-70
4. We may be able to apply this practice to face amounts up to $10 million for ages 18-60 and up to $5 million for ages 66-70, subject to individual case consideration

For these cases, medical records should include a comprehensive visit with a physical and labs within the last 12 months, accompanied by a completed Part II medical supplement form. All other submissions will be subject to routine age and amount requirements. Please contact your John Hancock underwriter with any questions.

2. Expanding John Hancock ExpressTrack® streamlined underwriting process to include paper applications with no need for a telephone interview

• Submissions must include the application (“Part I”), the medical supplement (“Part II”) and any other applicable authorizations
• All application elements must be submitted simultaneously
• The medical supplement (“Part II”) is not automatically included in the application kit and it should be completed by the agent
• Please see below for ExpressTrack criteria and other submission methods

1. Providing our capabilities for EHR access when APS is not available

We recognize it is difficult to obtain attending physician statements (APS) at this time. John Hancock Insurance has electronic health record (EHR) access capabilities that can be utilized in some cases where an APS is not available. Please contact John Hancock Underwriting for details and availability.

In addition to these enhancements, below you will also find other administrative updates. We hope you find all this information useful as we navigate these unprecedented circumstances together.

Expansion of ExpressTrack process

To help you continue to place cases as quickly as possible, we’ve expanded the ExpressTrack process. 2 Here’s what you need to know:

• NEW! As we mentioned above, the traditional paper application has been added as an ExpressTrack submission option. Please remember, all submissions must include the application (“Part I”), the medical supplement (“Part II”) and any other applicable authorizations, and all elements must be submitted simultaneously. No telephone interview will be conducted. Please note: the medical supplement (“Part II”) is not automatically included in the application kit and it should be completed by the agent.
• JH Life eTicket, iPipeLine’s Drop Ticket and ApplicInt Multi-Carrier Drop Ticket for term will include a telephone interview with the client to complete medical questions
• JH Paper Ticket for all single-life products including LTC rider will include a telephone interview with the client to complete medical questions
• ExpressTrack is not available with iPipeline’s iGO eApp
• Here’s a list of ExpressTrack-eligible submission methods

ExpressTrack eligibility criteria remain the same:

• Ages 18-60
• Face amounts up to and including $3 million
• All term and permanent single-life products, including the Long-Term Care rider
• Standard or better risk class

All other submissions will be subject to routine age and amount requirements. Please contact your John Hancock underwriter with any questions.

Additional updates

COVID-19 requirements

• A statement in the “Special Instructions” box in Part I, Section L of the application indicating whether or not each proposed insured or any household member has within the past 30 days traveled or resided outside of the US, has traveled by cruise ship, or has come into close contact with anyone known to the insured to have tested positive for COVID-19. If travel has occurred, the statement should indicate where they traveled and when they returned.3
• For individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, underwriting will be postponed for a minimum of 30 days post-recovery until further evaluation can be completed.
• Any consultations with medical professionals, or completed or pending tests by a proposed insured, that are related to COVID-19 should be disclosed in response to the relevant questions on the application and/or supplemental application forms.
• An updated good health statement is required at delivery on all policies.

Underwriting reserves the right to request additional information and/or defer any decisions when there is not enough information to render an underwriting assessment.

Policy delivery enhancements

In addition to temporary changes to our underwriting process, we are also updating our policy delivery process to accommodate our many partners who are now working remotely. Details are available here.

New webpage for COVID-19 related information

We know you need easy access to the most current information. In an effort to centralize important updates and spare your inboxes from multiple emails, we created a COVID-19 information hub on JHSalesHub.com where you can find answers to many of your questions as well as a repository of our recent communications.

Underwriting and Operation Updates: COVID-19

Pacific Life continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, and through it all, we are committed to supporting your needs as you service your clients during this extraordinary time. The following guideline changes are temporary and intended to assist your clients in getting the life insurance protection they need without significant delays.

Important Note: This reflects an update to our March 18, 2020 communication.

Temporary Underwriting Requirement Adjustments

There may be situations where we are unable to obtain traditional medical requirements due to either vendor closure or limited staff. In those circumstances, we’re temporarily offering an alternative to underwriting for pending or newly submitted formal applications.

For applicants that meet all the following criteria, Pacific Life will use other available data sources to underwrite in lieu of in-person exams:

• Applicants must be age 60 or younger.
• Face amounts up to $1 million.
• Standard or better risk classifications only. Applicants with a rating below standard will require normal exam requirements.

If we are unable to get adequate data from the data sources, Pacific Life may require traditional underwriting methods. Please contact us for more information, as this will be on a case-by-case basis.

Underwriting Vendor Updates

Current social distancing requirements are changing how we complete underwriting requirements. As the situation quickly shifts, we are closely monitoring announcements from our underwriting vendors as well as local and state governments. To see the most up-to-date operational status of our underwriting requirements vendors, you can access the “COVID-19 Vendor Status Report” available on https://plexpress.pacificlife.com/pro-web/login.html in the “Featured News” section or by bookmarking this link: http://www.marketing.pacificlife.com/documents/MasterLinks/COVID-19VendorStatus-external.pdf.

Paramed Exam Process Updates

To promote the safety of your clients as well as the medical examiners, when scheduling appointments to complete paramed exams, our vendors will ask whether—within the last 14 days—the applicant has exhibited signs of fever or respiratory distress, traveled to a travel ban country, or has had close contact with someone who has. If the applicant provides any information that indicates possible exposure, the appointment will be rescheduled 15 or more days out. During the call to access the applicant’s potential exposure, the examiner will also clearly confirm the same information for themselves, so that your clients can be assured the examiner has not been exposed.

Temporary Underwriting Guidelines

1. Applicants Traveling From Travel-Ban Countries—If an applicant has traveled from one of the travel-ban countries as found at the U.S. Department of State (Travel.State.Gov), a 30-day delay period will apply:
2. After the 30-day delay period, if the individual tests negative and is cleared, an application may be submitted or a policy delivered.
3. After the 30-day delay period, if the individual tests positive, a statement must be received stating the virus has been cleared and is required prior to submitting an application or delivering a policy.
5. A Certificate of Health or Good Health Statement is required on delivery for:
6. Applicants age 60 and older if the face amount is $250,000 or higher.
7. All rated policies, regardless of age or face amount.

Ongoing Support and Service

We are supporting our employees by ensuring they are set up to work in a safe and effective work-from-home environment and are pleased to report that our work force is fully operational in a remote capacity. You may experience additional wait time as you call to talk with a representative from Pacific Life, but know we are answering calls and are available to answer your questions.

Grace Period Extensions

To further assist policyholders, Pacific Life is complying with all applicable state disaster relief regulations and bulletins. This includes grace period extensions for impacted policyholders. If your clients are experiencing a hardship and having difficulty paying their premium due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please have them call our customer service representatives to discuss options.

Policy Delivery

For Broad Market: Pacific Life offers the ability to deliver policies electronically using our intuitive and easy-to-use, in-house ePolicy Delivery solution. Throughout the electronic process, all participants are notified of to-do tasks, status, and issues via email. With ePolicy Delivery, customers can:

• Review policy package, delivery requirements and payment plan
• Complete the payment plan for initial premium and recurring payments
• eSign all necessary documents
• Return delivery requirements
• Minimize re-issue delays
• Request delivery extensions electronically.

Claims

We have received several inquiries about how claims related to COVID-19 will be administered. Pacific Life insurance policies do not contain an exclusion for pandemics. All claims received will be processed in accordance with our normal procedures.

Thank you

We appreciate your patience and understanding during these unusual times. Pacific Life will continue to be here for you, long through and beyond this period, and for whatever the future holds. Please feel free to contact your Pacific Life representative with any questions. You may also contact the Sales Desk at (844) 238-4872, Option 3 or LynInternalSales@PacificLife.com.

To ensure you and your producers have the most current information, check the Producer Bay website regularly by clicking on the link: http://producerbay.pacificlife.com/. If you have questions or trouble accessing the Producer Bay website, please contact us at LynDistributorServices@PacificLife.com or (844) 238-4872.

As the uncertainty of the past few weeks continues, we are committed to supporting and serving you and your clients — safely and effectively — with limited disruption to your business. Like many of you, we are evolving and changing the way we operate to accommodate the recommended and mandated guidelines for social distancing. To that end, we’d like to let you know about some important changes we’re making within the Life business at Equitable:

Streamlined underwriting program

We will temporarily offer a streamlined underwriting program, eliminating lab and paramed requirements on qualifying cases. Instead, we will be using non-invasive, no-touch medical and non-medical resources to underwrite cases.

Read this Field Bulletin for qualifying criteria and additional details.

Customer contingency program

We will be proactively reviewing pending applications for cases submitted prior to March 15, 2020, that are at risk due to missing labs or exams, and will be making accommodations by expanding our use of alternative and innovative data sources.

Assurance to our customers

We understand that it may be hard for clients to pay their premiums. Therefore, to prevent our clients from losing their important life insurance and long-term care coverage, we will be extending the grace period to pay premiums to 60 days. All claims will be honored, provided premiums are current at the time of claim submission.

Virtual capabilities

We are fully prepared and equipped to conduct business virtually. We have the digital tools in place to make it easy for you to do business with us completely over email and online, so that you can keep your distance, stay safe and make sure your clients get the protection they need.

View the simple steps you can take to conduct business with Equitable Life.

Enduring strength

For 161 years,* Equitable has been helping clients face the future with confidence through serious events and periods of market uncertainty. Today, we remain steadfast in our commitment to making your job easier and helping your clients’ secure financial well-being. Let’s work together to make sure that, despite what’s happening in the world around us, our clients can look to the future with courage, strength and wisdom.

We value your relationship and appreciate the trust you’ve placed in us. Thank you for your continued support as we navigate this challenge, and I hope everyone remains healthy and safe.

Sincerely,

Ron Herrmann

Head of U.S. Life and Employee Benefits

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, AIG remains focused on protecting the health and safety of our colleagues and those around us, as well as continuing to serve clients, policyholders, business partners and other stakeholders.

AIG has activated its Business Continuity Plans and colleagues across our business remain available to help meet the needs of clients and other business partners with both in-force and new business. Our call centers also remain accessible to provide support and information.

Please see Underwriting Bulletin 20-036 for updates on our business.

Financial services has historically been an in-person business, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak we all need to adapt to other methods. Technology can help, whether you are conducting new business or are working with a current client.

1. FLX eApp allows you to enter and submit applications online, even when you and the client aren’t in the same physical location. Using software that guides you through the requirements ensures you gather all necessary information from the client. With the embedded electronic signature functionality (DocuSign) a client can apply and sign for coverage from anywhere there is internet connectivity.

If you are gathering a signature via email, choose that option within eApp and fill out the information for the agent and the client. (See attached for direction on eSignature. If you need more information on the eApp process, use the link below.) The client will receive an email from DocuSign containing a URL that will take them to the document to sign. Make your client aware the link expires in a few days.

eApp Training

2. FLXelerate, our accelerated underwriting program on Ameritas FLX Term and Index Universal Life products allows eligible clients ages 18 to 60 to get $300,001 to $1,000,000 of coverage without a paramed. A full list of eligibility criteria can be found in our Underwriting Guide

More on FLXelerate

3. Our Non Med program allows qualifying clients through age 70 to get up to $300,000 of coverage without a paramed exam, which means clients don’t need to leave their home for labs or exams. For more details, review our Underwriting Guide.

Now is a great time to proactively reach out to your clients by phone or email to help deepen relationships, reaffirm the steps they have taken in working with you and address their concerns. Utilizing a video screen sharing technology like GoToMeeting or Zoom can help you overcome not being able to meet in person.

We are here to help you win. Don’t hesitate to call us for help on any of these tips and tools, or product information.

800-390-2361

As a follow up to our communications last week, we want to provide you with some specific operational updates as we navigate the upcoming weeks together. We’re working hard to minimize disruptions in processing during these unusual times and remain committed to providing you with the products and services you rely upon to meet your clients’ needs.

New Business processing

Our New Business team is working diligently to continue processing your business as usual. As part of our business continuity plan, our staff is cross-trained to ensure key functions can operate efficiently.

Underwriting vendors

John Hancock is continuing to monitor and work closely with our paramedical vendors, lab processing centers and medical record providers, who have all implemented their business continuity plans.

In this evolving landscape, we will be providing updates on our short-term alternative underwriting processes. You can expect to see the first update in the coming days.

Policy contract delivery

We realize many of our firms have adopted flexible work arrangements and people may not be in the office to receive the policy contract for delivery to the client. Until further notice, we are sending all policies via email. The firm contact will receive a non-watermarked PDF copy of the contract via Office 365 Encryption.

Inforce operations

The Inforce Operations team remains committed to delivering on customer requests in a timely and efficient manner. We have redeployed staff to focus on high volume requests and those with more urgency. Based on staff redeploying to support critical functions, the current impact to cycle time is limited.

Similarly, we are working to ensure that we can answer calls as quickly as possible. The Call Center remains a high priority for the organization and will continue to be a focus as we navigate through this time.

Grace periods

If customers are experiencing a hardship and having difficulty paying their premium based on challenges arising from the COVID-19 situation, we will extend grace periods by an additional 61 days from the date the policy would have otherwise lapsed. We are here to support your customers and want to ensure they have the time they need to fund their policy.

To request an extended grace period for a customer, please contact us at JohnHancockInsurance.com or by calling 1-800-387-2747 (USA) or 1-888-267-7784 (NY) between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST to speak to a customer service representative.

Claims

We have received several questions about how claims related to COVID-19 will be administered.

John Hancock life insurance policies do not contain exclusions related to any specific disease or a pandemic. If a claim is received where a death occurred as a result of COVID-19, it will be paid in accordance with our normal procedures, subject to our standard contestability provisions. We remain committed to paying death claims as quickly as possible.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate these unprecedented times.

Individual life underwriting update:
COVID-19

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created unprecedented times. Our first concern is for the safety and well-being of our customers, business partners, and employees. Principal^® has worked to create a safe environment for our employees and we’re hopeful for the same for our customers and business partners.

The completion of underwriting requirements, specifically insurance exams, is more difficult at this time due to social distancing considerations and the orders in some states for all but essential businesses to shut down. The situation is changing rapidly, and we’re adjusting to allow many individuals to get the protection they need.

Temporary underwriting guideline changes

Effective March 24, 2020, for any pending or newly submitted formal applications, we’re offering additional solutions to underwrite without exam requirements. Our Principal Accelerated Underwriting^SM program may meet the needs of many, but we’ve also developed some temporary guidelines during this challenging time to help. Note, we’ll regularly review these guidelines and reserve the right to make changes at any time.

Applicant ages 18-40

• For face amounts up to and including $1,000,000 – no change to Accelerated Underwriting program
• For face amounts from $1,000,001 to $2,500,000, and meets the following requirements:
  • Case meets regular Accelerated Underwriting guidelines for eligibility
  • Applicant has had a complete physical, including labs, with all results normal within the prior 24 months
  • We can confirm the exam and lab results through digital health data

Applicant ages 41-60

• Face amounts up to and including $1,000,000 – no change to Accelerated Underwriting program
• Face amounts from $1,000,001 to $2,000,000, and meets the following requirements:
  • Case meets regular Accelerated Underwriting guidelines for eligibility
  • Applicant has had a complete physical, including labs, with all results normal within the prior 24 months
  • We can confirm the exam and lab results through digital health data

Digital health data or attending physician statements (APS)

• Principal will initiate the requests for digital health data, including the use of patient portal information through the vendor Human API. We have other sources of digital health data as well, so please do not request patient portal information or traditional APS without first consulting with your Principal underwriter.

Cases that don’t meet these criteria will be considered on an individual case basis. Our underwriters will proactively review pending cases to identify options that may be available to continue underwriting without exam requirements and then notify you of available options.

A few other underwriting items you should know about:

• With the global spread of the pandemic, the U.S. Department of State has advised against any travel outside the U.S. by airplane or cruise ship.
  • Anyone planning to travel outside the U.S. may be subject to postponement of their application until travel is completed and an appropriate time has passed since traveling.
  • For anyone who has traveled outside the U.S. by airplane or cruise ship, applications will be postponed until 30 days after the date of their return to the U.S.
• Anyone who has been tested or been treated for COVID-19 is expected to disclose any tests or treatments on their life insurance application or supplement we provide.
• Effective immediately, we will request a statement of health at policy delivery.

Principal is well-positioned to meet the needs of our customers and business partners with our electronic and digital application capabilities through Principal Life Online and Accelerated Underwriting. We appreciate the confidence you have in us as we navigate through this challenging time. As always, please call or email your Principal underwriter with any questions.

March 24, 2020

Dear valued partner:

The COVID-19 situation continues to progress at a rapid rate. As such, we are constantly assessing our guidelines and procedures to ensure that they are evolving with these unprecedented events. We are continuously monitoring updates from the U.S. Department of State, CDC, as well as local, state and other federal agencies.

We are committed to our guiding principles of Value, Transparency and Sustainability. To ensure that our business procedures are aligned with these principles, we will be implementing the following underwriting changes effective today.

• Until further notice, a Good Health Statement (Supplemental Statement of Health) will be required to be signed at policy delivery on all cases or prior to initiating any 1035 exchange. The Good Health Statement will attest that there has been no change to the applicant’s health status.
• Any permanent resident or U.S. citizen who has traveled internationally within the past 30 days will be postponed for 30 days from the date of their return, unless prohibited by state law. Applicants with future plans to travel internationally in the next 60 days will also be postponed.
• Anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 will be postponed for at least 30 days and be reconsidered at that time with APS information indicating the virus has cleared and health status has returned to baseline.
• Anyone who has been exposed with COVID-19 will be postponed for 30 days and be reconsidered at that time with evidence showing no infectious process.
• For those cases that are not already a decline, any informal or formal case over age 70 with co-morbidities that cause the risk to be Table 4 or above (these conditions are diabetes, obesity, coronary artery disease, respiratory disorders), will be postponed for 90 days.
• For applicants up to age 70 and face amounts of up to $5 million, we will consider cases on a case-by-case basis where a paramed exam cannot be completed, but the insured has had a complete physical within the past 12 months which includes blood work results.
• All of the guidelines listed above will also apply to our high-net-worth foreign national program, which we continue to monitor closely.

We continue to monitor and work closely with our paramedical vendors, lab processing centers and medical record providers, who have all implemented their business continuity plans.

I want to assure you that we are open for business and our team is here to assist you and your clients with any and all of your product, coverage and service needs.

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your Symetra regional vice president or the Symetra Life Sales Desk at 1-877-737-3611 or lifesales@symetra.com.

Sincerely,

Jon Stenberg
EVP, Individual Life Division
Symetra Life Insurance Company