Your clients are losing weight with Ozempic, Wegovy, and other GLP-1 medications. Great news, right?
But when they apply for life insurance, they're running into an unexpected problem: underwriters are treating their dramatic weight loss as a red flag, not a health victory.
Here's what's happening behind the scenes and what agents need to know to help clients navigate this new underwriting landscape.
Let's start with a concrete example – I recently encountered this situation:
Client Profile:
Despite being at a healthy weight now, this client was underwritten as 5'6", 200 lbs – essentially splitting the difference between their current weight and their previous weight.
On underwritten life apps, there's always a question about weight loss in the past 12 months. If the client has lost 50+ pounds, the underwriter typically adds half back in the underwriting process.
This isn't isolated. Another agent who came to us just ran into this exact scenario with a term case last month.
Related: Wegovy, Ozempic & Medicare: What Agents Need to Know Now
Life insurance companies are dealing with what they call "mortality slippage" – accidentally classifying someone as lower-risk than they actually are. And it's getting expensive.
Industry mortality slippage currently averages around 15%, with individual accelerated underwriting programs ranging from 5% to over 30% (Swiss Re). That means roughly one in six life insurance policies is fundamentally mis-priced.
When someone applies for life insurance after losing weight on GLP-1 medications, underwriters see what looks like a healthy person with:
But here's the catch: Research from the landmark STEP 1 trial extension shows that participants regain approximately two-thirds of their prior weight loss within one year of stopping semaglutide (Wilding et al., 2022). When they discontinue the medication, most health markers revert toward baseline levels, effectively returning them to their original risk profile.
This means insurers are locking in 30-year policies at preferred rates for people who may be high-risk again by year three.
Life insurance companies are changing their approach in several ways:
Instead of vague questions like "How has your weight changed recently?", applications now include detailed queries about:
Many underwriters are now adding approximately half of recent weight loss back into their risk calculations. This practice is becoming standard across the industry.
Underwriters are also getting better at detecting GLP-1 use through:
If currently on GLP-1 medications:
If recently stopped GLP-1 medications:
If planning to start GLP-1 medications:
Some forward-thinking insurance companies are exploring partnerships with GLP-1 providers to improve medication adherence. The logic: if they can help people stay on effective medications, they reduce long-term risk.
As more data becomes available on long-term GLP-1 outcomes, underwriting practices will likely continue evolving. Companies with better adherence programs may eventually receive more favorable treatment.
State insurance departments are monitoring these practices to ensure they don't unfairly discriminate against people managing their health through medication.
The intersection of GLP-1 weight loss medications and life insurance underwriting is creating new challenges for agents and clients alike.
The key is setting proper expectations and helping clients understand the insurance industry's long-term risk perspective. As my prior example shows, this isn't theoretical – it's happening now with real clients.
By understanding these trends, you can help clients make smarter decisions about when to apply for coverage.