What’s making waves in life and medical insurance?

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

“The development that I feel is having the most important impression on life and medical insurance is the digital transformation and integration of expertise throughout the worth chain,” mentioned Senan O’Loughlin (pictured), govt 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 in the end enhance the acquisition expertise which can improve their attain, desirability, and accessibility,” he mentioned.

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

‘AI creates a whole lot of alternatives’ for insurance coverage

O’Loughlin leads RGA’s conventional mortality capabilities for the US, together with enterprise growth, pricing, underwriting, medical, claims, and operations. He additionally oversees the US enterprise initiatives crew that develops and implements RGA’s danger 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 expertise that’s making huge 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 life-style behaviors that decrease their danger.

“Many processes throughout the life and medical insurance worth chain are time and useful resource intensive and have a whole lot 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,” mentioned O’Loughlin.

“Finally, enhancing 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 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 growth, advertising, 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, notably due to the folks inside it.

“I might say that the sphere of insurance coverage has a number of the nicest folks that you may hope to work with, and I’ve had the chance to work with actually nice, inspiring folks throughout my profession and in my present function,” he instructed Insurance coverage Enterprise.

“The factor that excites me and motivates me is knowing the profound impression that safety merchandise have on the lives of shoppers, and in addition seeing my colleagues’ want and dedication to enhance insurance coverage for our shoppers and to in the end increase entry to monetary safety to increasingly folks.”