Webinar|June 4, 2025

From uninsurable to opportunity: The evolving mortality of hepatitis C, HIV, and cystic fibrosis

Explore Webinar Series

Underwriting is an ever-changing, highly nuanced discipline—and guidelines must keep up. This webinar series, presented by Milliman IntelliScript and Optimum Life Re, explores the latest clinical, actuarial, and health informatics updates to three conditions at the forefront of advanced treatments.

Not long ago, patients with hepatitis C, HIV, and cystic fibrosis had grim prospects. Today, their prognoses and outcomes are dramatically different. Thanks to new therapeutics and treatment protocols, many have life expectancies similar to the general population.

Forward-thinking life insurance carriers are starting to reconsider underwriting guidelines and approach these conditions—each at progressing stages of advanced treatments—from a broader perspective. With the right data and a sharper view into the condition risk spectrum, you can issue more business and extend coverage to affected applicants. Underwriters who know what to look for can already spot some better-than-average risks among applicants with hepatitis C and HIV. Cystic fibrosis is not far behind.

Join us this summer for a three-part webinar series covering some of modern medicine’s most inspiring good-news stories. Our panel of multidisciplinary experts from Milliman IntelliScript and Optimum Life Re will share the latest clinical, actuarial, and health informatics developments on these changing conditions; show you what to look for in electronic health records (EHR) to assess applicants who have them; and discuss the progress of guidelines that make it possible to confidently underwrite these conditions.

Access to certain sensitive conditions requires sensitive-condition language within the HIPAA authorization.

Who should attend

Chief executives, actuaries, underwriters, medical directors, underwriting innovation executives, and others responsible for assessing and managing risk and guidelines for individual life insurance carriers will benefit from this webinar series.

Webinar #1: Underwriting hepatitis C as a curable condition

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | 11 a.m. Central

Millions of Americans live with hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that may go undetected but increases the risk of liver disease, including cancer. But a series of breakthrough antiviral drugs achieved sustained virologic response, effectively curing this disease in a large majority of cases once it’s been detected.

This webinar reviews the transmission and effects of hepatitis C, the development and mechanism of antiviral treatments, and the underwriting impacts of improved treatment. (Although hepatitis C is less common in applicants than in the general population, non-disclosure is high as most don’t know they’re infected.)

We’ll also analyze sample EHRs to highlight key points underwriters must be aware of when assessing the insurability of applicants with hep C on their profiles.

Webinar #2: Underwriting HIV as a manageable condition

Wednesday, July 9, 2025 | 11 a.m. Central

Since 2023, insurers in California have been prevented from denying life insurance coverage solely on the basis of a positive HIV test. Recent advances in treatment mean that many applicants with HIV are more than merely insurable.

We’ll recap the series of therapeutic advances that can virtually stop disease progression, nearly eliminate the most common forms of transmission, and drop viral loads to undetectable levels. Then we’ll discuss the keys to underwriting applicants with HIV and detail specific things you can look for in electronic health records (EHR), including critical lab results, to confidently assess this risk.

Access to certain sensitive conditions requires sensitive-condition language within the HIPAA authorization.

Coming Soon

Webinar #3: Underwriting cystic fibrosis as an improving condition

Wednesday, August 6, 2025 | 11 a.m. Central

Until the 2000s, treatment for cystic fibrosis was largely limited to managing symptoms or, in some cases, lung transplants. It was rare for CF patients to survive beyond their 30s.

The discovery of CFTR gene responsible for CF opened the to door to breakthrough genetic therapies that, over the past decade, have dramatically improved life expectancies. Depending on their specific genetic defect, some patients are now expected to live well into their 60s.

This webinar will review the ongoing development of treatments that alter the trajectory of CF, which is now more manageable than ever, and treatments continue to progress. We’ll detail the key factors required to underwrite applicants with CF, including the specific mutation and applicant age. Finally, we’ll show you what to look for in EHR data, including lung function test results, BMI, and infection history that can inform your decisions.

Coming Soon