NAIFA member Richard Demko offers his insight and expertise in a Best’s Review article on how COVID-19 could impact life insurance underwriting. He is a life insurance expert who is Past President of NAIFA’s Houston chapter and a 2020 recipient of NAIFA’s Four Under 40 Award, presented by Advisor Today. He is also the Director of Insurance at Centric Advisors, a NAIFA 100% Agency.

From the Best's Review article:

The most likely outcome, Demko said, is that COVID-19 questions will be asked on life insurance applications, included in sections about past or recurring respiratory illnesses.

“Unknown things scare insurance companies. Right now, there's plenty of unknown,” Demko said. “It's easier to have a broad-based question on any respiratory or pulmonary issues in the last two years. Because that's going to be encompassing of any COVID condition.”

Demko believes insurers will overcome the current uncertainty and treat prior COVID-19 infection as “a manageable condition that doesn't always pose an insurmountable barrier to coverage if it's disclosed early in the application process,” according to the article.

Demko is a great representative of the achievers recognized each year by NAIFA's Four Under 40 Award. Do you know a NAIFA member under the age of 40 who stands out from the crowd for their professional achievement and service to their clients, community, and industry? If so, nominate them to be considered for the 2021 Four Under 40 Award.