Tip for Agents: Know Your Customer's Healthcare Needs

9/07/2010

Agents who are seeking to sell more health insurance policies can benefit from paying close attention to nationwide medical trends with an eye on understanding the changing needs of customers.

In recent years, one of the most pronounced nationwide health trends has been the sharp rise in diabetes and obesity, which can result in more expensive insurance rates while also saddling individuals with potentially expensive medical costs, a shorter life expectancy, and a lower quality of life in general.

Given these trends, insurance agents can benefit from being as familiar as possible with provisions in the plans they sell that involve weight loss treatment, diabetes management and controlling blood pressure. Those with chronic health conditions also tend to rely on more prescriptions than the average individual.

Recent information from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research offers more insight into the problem. Many media reports have focused on states in the Deep South as leading the nation in obesity and poor health in general.

However, new data from the center finds that even in California, where active lifestyles and healthier diets tend to be more common, the majority of adults in the state are obese or overweight. The report added that the state is also home to more than 2 million diabetics.

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