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

The life and well being (re)insurance coverage business 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 development that I feel is having the most important influence on life and medical health insurance is the digital transformation and integration of know-how throughout the worth chain,” stated Senan O’Loughlin (pictured), govt vice chairman of US mortality markets at Reinsurance Group of America, Integrated (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 in the end 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 beneficial networking and resource-sharing alternatives for ladies in insurance coverage.

‘AI creates lots of alternatives’ for insurance coverage

O’Loughlin leads RGA’s conventional mortality features 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.

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

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

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

“In the end, bettering the client expertise and serving to to make insurance coverage merchandise extra personalised 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 corporations on three continents. He held a number of roles with Swiss Re, together with head of gross sales and consumer 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 beneath 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 a wide range of administration roles, together with technique, life, and retirement product improvement, advertising, valuation, and undertaking administration.

All through his tenure in insurance coverage, O’Loughlin has remained keen about 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 you could hope to work with, and I’ve had the chance to work with actually 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 influence that safety merchandise have on the lives of consumers, and likewise seeing my colleagues’ need and dedication to enhance insurance coverage for our purchasers and to in the end develop entry to monetary safety to an increasing number of individuals.”