What’s making waves in life and medical health insurance?

The life and well being (re)insurance coverage trade has been quickly reworked by technological developments within the final decade, with one professional flagging improvements like synthetic intelligence (AI) and machine studying as recreation changers.

“The pattern that I believe is having the largest affect on life and medical health insurance is the digital transformation and integration of know-how throughout the worth chain,” stated Senan O’Loughlin (pictured), government vice chairman of US mortality markets at Reinsurance Group of America, Included (RGA).

“With the development of digital applied sciences (like optical character recognition/pure language processing, synthetic intelligence, machine studying, automation [and others]), there are such a lot of alternatives to enhance insurance coverage merchandise, how they’re underwritten and finally enhance the acquisition expertise which is able to improve their attain, desirability, and accessibility,” he stated.

The in-person convention, set for September 21, 2023, goals to offer invaluable networking and resource-sharing alternatives for girls in insurance coverage.

‘AI creates loads of alternatives’ for insurance coverage

O’Loughlin leads RGA’s conventional mortality capabilities for the US, together with enterprise improvement, pricing, underwriting, medical, claims, and operations. He additionally oversees the US enterprise initiatives crew that develops and implements RGA’s threat evaluation merchandise and options.

Talking to Insurance coverage Enterprise forward of the Girls in Insurance coverage New York convention, O’Loughlin named AI because the know-how that’s making massive waves in his sector.

By leveraging buyer knowledge and AI/ML applied sciences, insurance coverage firms can create tailor-made options for people that cater to their particular protection wants, in addition to encourage them to undertake wholesome way of life behaviors that decrease their threat.

“Many processes throughout the life and medical health insurance worth chain are time and useful resource intensive and have loads of friction. AI has the potential to assist enhance a variety of processes from the insurance coverage shopping for and promoting course of to underwriting, servicing, and claims,” stated O’Loughlin.

“Finally, bettering the shopper expertise and serving to to make insurance coverage merchandise extra customized and accessible.”

Ardour for the life and well being reinsurance sector

Earlier than becoming a member of RGA in 2021, O’Loughlin accrued 30 years of senior administration expertise with insurance coverage and reinsurance firms on three continents. He held a number of roles with Swiss Re, together with head of gross sales and shopper engagement for its life and well being division, in addition to regional head of technique and operations for the Americas.

Previous to Swiss Re, he labored at AIG-AIA in Hong Kong as regional head of actuarial below Asia-Pacific life operations.

He started his profession as a trainee actuary at Hibernian Group in Eire (now Aviva), the place he went on to work in quite a lot of administration roles, together with technique, life, and retirement product improvement, advertising and marketing, valuation, and undertaking administration.

All through his tenure in insurance coverage, O’Loughlin has remained captivated with working within the life and well being area, significantly due to the individuals inside it.

“I’d say that the sector of insurance coverage has among the nicest individuals that you could hope to work with, and I’ve had the chance to work with really nice, inspiring individuals throughout my profession and in my present position,” he instructed Insurance coverage Enterprise.

“The factor that excites me and motivates me is knowing the profound affect that safety merchandise have on the lives of consumers, and likewise seeing my colleagues’ need and dedication to enhance insurance coverage for our shoppers and to finally develop entry to monetary safety to an increasing number of individuals.”