October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Breast cancer awareness continues to grow in the U.S., and death rates from the disease have continually declined since 1990. We hope the following statistics from breastcancer.org will serve as a reminder to us all of the continued importance of education, early detection and treatment.

• 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

• In 2011, an estimated 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 57,650 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

• About 2,140 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2011. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.

• About 39,520 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2011 from breast cancer.

• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.

• In 2011, there were more than 2.6 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.

For more information about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and breast cancer, visit www.nbcam.org.

The National Cancer Institute has helpful information on mammograms and the important role they play in early detection of breast cancer.

Term Life Insurance and Breast Cancer

A history of breast cancer does not always mean you cannot get a term life insurance policy. Many life insurance companies will consider your application for coverage as soon as one year after your treatment. Your specific history and treatment will determine if you qualify and how long you may have to wait. See our previous blog on the topic for details of what the life insurance company will look for.

Are you a breast cancer survivor or do you know one? Please share your story with us!

QuickQuote has proudly offered term life insurance online since 1995. During that time, we’ve worked with dozens of life insurance companies. While the majority of them have been great partners, the most exceptional companies stand out for providing excellent customer service, quality term life insurance products and fair premium rates.

We don’t play favorites. We work for you, our customers, by helping to select the best company for your unique circumstances. And over the past five years, you’ve chosen these life insurance companies more often than any others.

In alphabetical order, here are the top 5 companies from the past 5 years based on the total number of term life insurance policies purchased by our customers.

American General Life Insurance Company

Speedy underwriting and exceptional customer service are two reasons American General has preserved their status as a customer favorite over the years.

Genworth Life Insurance Company

Formerly known as GE Financial, this popular choice offers a unique product with its Colony Term UL policies and very competitive prices.

Pruco Life Insurance Company (Prudential)

Customers love the Prudential brand and reputation. Good term life insurance policies and competitive underwriting niches help make the company popular.

ReliaStar Life Insurance Company (ING)

ING Reliastar has been a favorite since 2006. Customers are consistently happy with ReliaStar’s fair underwriting guidelines and competitive prices.

Transamerica Life Insurance Company

Transamerica has filled a niche with favorable underwriting for foreign nationals and travelers. They also launched a new term UL policy, TransTerm, earlier this year.

 

Each year brings new challenges and with them, new life insurance companies emerge as best-sellers and customer favorites. As the competitive landscape changes, time will tell which companies stay on top and if any newcomers will join them.

Do you have a favorite life insurance company?

Would you believe if you are told that he can reverse the supplements cure hair loss and impotence, as well as prevent high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, gout and other ailments? This supplement will also make you more beautiful than the nerves and skin tissue regenerated and wrinkles blurs. In fact, it, AOS is so powerful and beneficial to the people that we are toothpaste, clothes, paints, cosmetics, toys, soft drinks, water and various foods can be added.

sounds good, doesn, AOT? One might think complement the purchase of some of these miracles today, especially if it comes with a warranty. If you are in the early 1900s, and lived AOS heard this kind of support you may have even bought the radioactive radium. Shortly after the discovery of radium by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1911, was the radioactive element in the products developed and marketed for the masses as a panacea for health and beauty. Later it was discovered that the radiation can cause cancer.

While the radioactivity has certainly changed the world of medicine and diagnosis, it should never have been to the public as a panacea or sell a beauty treatment. What other substances have been placed and sold before the public long-term studies were conducted to assess the safety

According to Consumer Reports, the following supplements that pose a health risk, but will continue to sell?

Aconitum

bitter orange

Chaparral

• money Colloidal

coltsfoot

comfrey

Country Mallow

germanium

celandine

kava

Lobelia

yohimbe

These additions have not yet been demonstrated to be safe, and can be a wide range of side effects, including liver damage and even death. Is this multibillion dollar industry is based on complete ignorance of the public trust when it comes to complement sales?

What about the FDA?

You may think you do not have the AOT for the security of your supplements, because our government would never allow the sale of hazardous substances to the public. However, you may be surprised that the health food supplements and Education Act of 1994 states that in order to learn the manufacturer (not the FDA) to determine if the product is safe.

What can you do to stay safe?

A good place to start is to talk to your doctor before taking dietary supplements. If you plan to research the supplement itself, peer scientific studies rather than random sites or advertisers to seek claims OSA. A useful tool is an interactive graphic of this information is Beautiful, which has links to medical studies done on various supplements.

Another great resource EEC AOS Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, which allows you to search your favorite cosmetics to see what hazardous chemicals may be hiding inside. ConsumerLab.com conducts independent tests and reports and supplements and accuracy of the manufacturer. They also provide valuable information on product alerts.

the impact on your life insurance

Life insurance companies may be on the counter supplements you can take questions. But their main interest is in any prescribed medications you are currently taking or have recently taken. If you want to use dietary supplements, and there are changes in your lab tests, the company will make a statement. And as always, it is best to let the AOS company know in advance about your work, what medications and supplements you are taking any prescription or not.

We recommend that you stay healthy the old fashioned way, with a nutritious diet, exercise and good relationships with friends and family. However, if you’re using additives unregulated and potentially dangerous, you should get a term life insurance first!

America’s collective waistline has been growing at an alarming rate for the past 20 years. The 2010 Centers for Disease Control’s statistics show every single state has an obesity rate of at least 20 percent with some as high as 32 percent. If you live in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas or West Virginia, about one in every three people you see will be obese.

Wikipedia defines obesity as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Common diseases associated with obesity include heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, cancer and osteoarthritis. A body mass index (BMI) of over 30 generally indicates obesity.

Not surprisingly, the incidence of inactivity and diabetes increases right along with obesity levels, with many southern states topping the list in both categories. And a recent study published by the International Journal of Epidemiology shows the number of years living with obesity is directly associated with mortality risk. The duration of obesity was more important in predicting mortality than any one single BMI measurement.

It’s clear that as a country we need to get control of this problem, but where have we gone wrong and what can we do to become healthier? Sedentary lifestyles and easy access to unhealthy foods are clearly contributors to the problem. In today’s chaotic world, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain discipline with a healthy diet and exercise. Yet small, incremental improvements are possible and these ideas can help get us headed in the right direction.

Switch up Your Work Station

If you have a desk job, you know how difficult it can be to move around, especially if you are on the telephone all day or “in the zone” working on a project. An easy way to combat this problem is to swap your chair for a giant exercise ball for a few hours a day. Slouching is significantly more difficult on an exercise ball, so your muscles will need to work harder to keep your spine erect. Your posture will improve and you will burn more calories at the same time!  

You can also consider investing in a treadmill work station. The goal with these is not to run 6 miles per hour while trying to type up an expense report. It’s more like a 1.5 – 2.0 miles per hour stroll, just enough to keep the calories burning throughout the day. That may not sound like much, but if you work on a treadmill desk for only half the day, you will walk about eight miles by lunch time! Suggest adding a few treadmill work stations to your employer and who knows, maybe the company will foot the bill.

If nothing else, take advantage of your break time to walk around the block rather than hitting up the vending machine.

Put Fast Food Out of Business

Studies show it takes about 2 – 3 weeks to start new habits. If you commit to giving up fast food for at least that long, it should become much easier to skip the drive-thru. Once your taste buds adjust, you may find the greasy and salty fast food is not very appetizing anyway.  Find some healthy recipes you can whip up at home for work lunches, and keep fresh fruits and veggies washed up and ready for easy snacks.

Hold Yourself Accountable

In today’s techie world, you can no doubt find dozens of free or low-cost apps and programs that will allow you to log your calories and workouts. Give yourself one cheat day each week so you don’t get burned out. Why no enlist a buddy to get healthy with you?

Don’t Give Up!

Many of us just throw in the towel if we stray from our diets or otherwise slip-up. We’re only human, so let’s not be so hard on ourselves! Acknowledge what happened, consider why it happened and what you can do next time to change your behavior, and get right back on track.

Keeping yourself healthy and controlling your weight will go a long way toward helping you outlive your term life insurance policy!

Applying for term life insurance can seem overwhelming at times. Applicants must figure out the quotes, application forms, phone interviews, paramedical exams … not to mention the policy itself. A good agent or broker can help applicants make sense of the process and the terminology. And that’s what we are doing today, by closely examining a quote for term life insurance.

What a Quote Is

A quote is simply an estimate of the price you will pay for your term life insurance policy. This estimate is given before the life insurance company has reviewed even a single snippet of information about your health, lifestyle and family history. And for this reason, the quote you receive may be different from the final offer the company makes. This will, of course, depend on the underwriting process, which is simply the review of all the information collected about you.

What a Quote is Not

A quote is not a guarantee that you will be approved, nor is it a promise of the policy premium (cost) if you are approved. An approval by the life insurance company is only made after your formal application, paramedical exam and other information is reviewed by an underwriter. Once your application is approved, the company will make an offer, which includes the approved rating class and policy premium.  

Common Misconceptions

One common misconception is the quoted premium is the actual premium you will pay for the policy. While most people do end up with the same premium in the end, it’s not always so. You shouldn’t consider any quotes you receive to be the final, approved premium until you have your policy in hand. It will clearly state your approved rating class and the price of the policy.

Think of it this way, you can get a quote for any rating class you select. A 70-year old man with diabetes and heart disease could use an online quoting system to get a quote for the best rating class, without disclosing his medical conditions. He obviously would not be approved at the best rating class after the life insurance company reviewed his health history.

Another misconception occurs when an applicant believes an insurance agent or broker can approve a rating class. An agent or broker can only help you estimate what rating class the life insurance company may approve your application at. She cannot guarantee anything on behalf of the company. In the end, it is completely up to the underwriter to determine the final rating class. That being said, an experienced life insurance agent or broker is priceless in helping you estimate your rating class and finding the best company to apply with.

Common reasons you may receive a different approved rating class:

• The life insurance company discovered something during underwriting that was not disclosed or known at the time of the quote.

• The life insurance company updated their pricing after you obtained your quote, but before you completed your application.  

• You had an age change prior to completing your application.

• An error was made while obtaining the quote, such as an incorrect date of birth, gender, height/weight, etc.

 

If you’d like to learn more about rating classes and insurance company pricing, the following blog posts cover this information in more detail.

• Save Money on Your Term Life Insurance with This Simple Trick

• Understanding Term Life Insurance Rating Classes

• Top 5 List of Life Insurance Obstacles