LONG TERM CARE UNDERWRITING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080319802A1
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (Manulife Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (Manulife Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Wendy, Korch, Mary A., Rackliff, Nicholas E., Moon, Melissa A., Kraynak, Joseph F., Newton, Mark Damian, Arsenault, Elizabeth A., Kluza, Joanna B., Danson, Rachel A., Heinricher, Arthur C., Wicklund, Jaris B., Treese, William J., Abraham, Jonathan P.
• Application Number:
  US11/766,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20080319802A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance

Abstract

A system and method for analyzing risk for underwriting insurance is provided. The method may comprise: inputting data regarding at least one applicant for insurance, wherein at least one item of data relates to a first category and at least one item of data relates to a second category; assigning a numerical risk factor to at least one item of data; generating a first numerical risk score for the first category; generating a second numerical risk score for the second category; generating a composite risk score based on at least the first numerical risk score and the second numerical risk score; assigning a composite risk score to at least one applicant for insurance; wherein the first category comprises medical conditions or severities of medical conditions and the second category comprises negative medical condition interactions.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing risk for underwriting insurance, comprising:

inputting data regarding at least one applicant for insurance, wherein at least one item of data relates to a first category and at least one item of data relates to a second category;

assigning a numerical risk factor to at least one item of data;

generating a first numerical risk score for the first category;

generating a second numerical risk score for the second category;

generating a composite risk score based on at least the first numerical risk score and the second numerical risk score; and

assigning a composite risk score to at least one applicant for insurance;

wherein the first category comprises medical conditions or severities of medical conditions and the second category comprises negative medical condition interactions.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one item of data relates to a third category.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the third category comprises one of functional information, lifestyle information, medications, and medical devices.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising generating a third numerical risk score for the third category;

generating a composite risk score based on at least the first numerical risk score, the second numerical risk score, and the third numerical risk score.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one item of data relates to a third category, at least one item of data relates to a fourth category, and at least one item of data relates to a fifth category.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the third category comprises functional information, the fourth category comprises lifestyle information, and the fifth category comprises medications and medical devices.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising:

generating a third numerical risk score for the third category;

generating a fourth numerical risk score for the fourth category;

generating a fifth numerical risk score for the fifth category;

generating a composite risk score based on at least the first numerical risk score, the second numerical risk score, the third numerical risk score, the fourth numerical risk score, and the fifth numerical risk score.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a numerical risk factor may be divided by a discounting factor or multiplied by a compounding factor.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the first numerical risk score is equal to the sum of each risk factor assigned to the data in the first category divided by a discounting factor with an exponent based on the number of risk factors in the first category.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the discounting factor is equal to about 1.23.

11. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the second numerical risk score is equal to the sum of each risk factor assigned to the data in the second category multiplied by a compounding factor with an exponent based on the number of risk factors in the second category.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the compounding factor is equal to about 1.70.

13. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the third numerical risk score is equal to the sum of each risk factor assigned to the data in the third category multiplied by a compounding factor with an exponent based on the number of risk factors in the third category.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the compounding factor is equal to about 2.30.

15. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the third numerical risk score is equal to the sum of each risk factor assigned to the data in the third category.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein each risk factor assigned to data in the third category may be positive or negative.

17. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the composite risk score is equal to the sum of the first numerical risk score multiplied by a first coefficient and the second numerical risk score multiplied by a second coefficient.

18. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising assigning a rate class to at least one applicant for insurance based on the composite risk score.

19. A method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the discounting factor or compounding factor is calculated by at least one of numerical regression, a comparison of two applicants for insurance, or least absolute deviations.

20. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a first and second applicant for insurance with comparable risk;

comparing a composite risk score generated for the first applicant with a composite risk score generated for the second applicant; and

modifying the numerical risk factor assigned to at least one item of data if the composite risk score generated for the first applicant is not approximately equal to a composite risk score generated for the second applicant.

21. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

displaying data regarding at least one applicant for insurance;

displaying at least one numerical risk factor assigned to at least one item of data;

correlating at least one item of data in the first category to at least one other item of data in the first category;

displaying a first numerical risk score;

displaying a second numerical risk score; and

displaying at least one composite risk score.

22. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

displaying information regarding at least one rate class to which an applicant may be assigned, said rate class corresponding to the composite risk score.

23. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a visual representation of the composite risk score for a plurality of applicants for insurance.

24. A method for calibrating a model for analyzing risk for underwriting insurance, comprising:

assigning a rate class to an applicant for insurance, the rate class corresponding to classifications assigned to applicants;

determining a numerical target that corresponds to a median of the rate class;

assigning the numerical target as a composite risk score for the applicant; and

solving for at least one parameter used in generating the composite risk score.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the rate class is designated or assigned by an underwriter.

26. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the composite risk score comprises a score based upon at least a first category and a second category, the first category comprising medical conditions or severities of medical conditions, and the second category comprising negative medical condition interactions.

27. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the model is revised to take into account the at least one parameter that is solved for and used to generate the composite risk score.

28. A method for analyzing risk for underwriting insurance comprising:

inputting data regarding at least one applicant for insurance;

assigning numerical risk factors to at least one item of the data;

generating a condition risk score based on the numerical risk factors assigned to input relating to medical conditions of the applicant;

generating a co-morbidity risk score based on the numerical risk factors assigned to input related to negative medical conditions interactions; and

generating a composite risk score based on at least the condition risk score and the co-morbidity risk score.

29. A system for analyzing risk for underwriting insurance, comprising:

an interface for inputting information regarding at least one characteristic of at least one applicant for insurance, wherein at least one characteristic relates to a first category and at least one characteristic relates to a second category;

a database comprising values for association with or assignment to at least one characteristic of at least one applicant for insurance; and

an inference engine, wherein the inference engine is configured to take the information regarding at least one characteristic of at least one applicant for insurance as input and generate an output, the output comprising a numerical composite risk score representing the risk of at least one applicant for insurance,

wherein the first category comprises medical conditions or severities of medical conditions and the second category comprises negative medical condition interactions.

30. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the interface is a user interface.

31. A system in accordance with claim 30, wherein the user interface comprises a graphical user interface.

32. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the inference engine comprises a processor.

33. A system in accordance with claim 29, including a means for displaying the output.

34. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the inference engine comprises a routine, program, or algorithm.

35. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the database comprises a knowledge database including a set of rules.

36. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the database proceeds through a set of possibilities and eliminates those that are not deemed to apply from consideration.

37. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the database includes risk factors associated with at least one characteristic.

38. A system in accordance with claim 37, wherein at least one risk factor is provided by a system user.

39. A system in accordance with claim 37, wherein at least one risk factor is based on information provided by an underwriter.

40. A system in accordance with claim 29, wherein the inference engine applies a discounting factor or compounding factor to a component of the composite risk score.

41. A system in accordance with claim 29, further comprising a means for assigning a rate class to at least one applicant for insurance based on the composite risk score.

42. A system in accordance with claim 29, further comprising a means for:

identifying a first and second applicant for insurance with comparable risk, comparing a composite risk score generated for the first applicant with a composite risk score generated for the second applicant, and modifying the numerical risk factor assigned to at least one item of data if the composite risk score generated for the first applicant is not approximately equal to a composite risk score generated for the second applicant.

43. A system for calibrating a model for analyzing risk for underwriting insurance, comprising:

a means for inputting information and data; and

a processor for receiving information and data;

wherein the processor assigns a rate class to an applicant for insurance, the rate class corresponding to classifications assigned to applicants;

determines a numerical target that corresponds to a median of the rate class;

assigns the numerical target as a composite risk score for the applicant; and

solves for at least one parameter used in generating the composite risk score.

44. A system in accordance with claim 43, wherein the rate class is designated or assigned by an underwriter.

45. A system in accordance with claim 43, wherein the composite risk score comprises a score based upon at least a first category and a second category, the first category comprising medical conditions or severities of medical conditions, and the second category comprising negative medical condition interactions.

46. A system in accordance with claim 43, wherein the model is revised to take into account the at least one parameter that is solved for and used to generate the composite risk score.

47. A system for analyzing risk for underwriting insurance comprising:

means for inputting data regarding at least one applicant for insurance, wherein at least one item of data relates to a first category and at least one item of data relates to a second category;

means for assigning a numerical risk factor to at least one item of data;

means for generating a first numerical risk score for the first category;

means for generating a second numerical risk score for the second category;

means for generating a composite risk score based on at least the first numerical risk score and the second numerical risk score; and

means for assigning a composite risk score to at least one applicant for insurance,

wherein the first category comprises medical conditions or severities of medical conditions and the second category comprises negative medical condition interactions.

48. A computer medium containing instructions for causing a processor to analyze risk for underwriting insurance, the medium comprising:

code for receiving data regarding at least one applicant for insurance, wherein at least one item of data relates to a first category and at least one item of data relates to a second category;

code for assigning a numerical risk factor to at least one item of data;

code for generating a first numerical risk score for the first category;

code for generating a second numerical risk score for the second category;

code for generating a composite risk score based on at least the first numerical risk score and the second numerical risk score; and

code for assigning a composite risk score to at least one applicant for insurance;

wherein the first category comprises medical conditions or severities of medical conditions and the second category comprises negative medical condition interactions.

49. A computer medium according to claim 48, further including code relating to a third category.

50. A computer medium according to claim 49, wherein the third category comprises one of functional information, lifestyle information, medications, and medical devices.

51. A computer medium according to claim 49, further including code for generating a third numerical risk score for the third category, and code for generating a composite risk score based on at least the first numerical risk score, the second numerical risk score, and the third numerical risk score.

52. A computer medium according to claim 48, further including code relating to a third category, code relating to a fourth category, and code relating to a fifth category.

53. A computer medium according to claim 52, wherein the third category comprises functional information, the fourth category comprises lifestyle information, and the fifth category comprises medications and medical devices.