The word “health” refers to a state of complete emotional and physical well-being. Healthcare exists to help people maintain this optimal state of health.

In 2015, the population of the United States (U.S.) spent an estimated $3.2 trillion on healthcare costs.

However, despite this expenditure, a study by the U.S. National Research Council, published in 2013, showed that Americans die at a younger age and experience more illness and injury than people in other developed countries.

Good health is central to handling stress and living a long and active life. Fast facts on health

Here are some key points about health. More detail is in the main article.

• Health can be defined as physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and as a resource for living a full life.
• It refers not only to the absence of disease, but the ability to recover and bounce back from illness and other problems.
• Factors for good health include genetics, the environment, relationships, and education.
• A healthful diet, exercise, screening for diseases, and coping strategies can all enhance a person’s health.

What is health?

In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health with a phrase that is still used today.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” WHO, 1948.

In 1986, the WHO further clarified that health is:

“A resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.”

This means that health is a resource to support an individual’s function in wider society. A healthful lifestyle provides the means to lead a full life.

More recently, researchers have defined health as the ability of a body to adapt to new threats and infirmities. They base this on the idea that modern science has dramatically increased human awareness of diseases and how they work in the last few decades.

Types

Mental and physical health are the two most commonly discussed types of health. We also talk about “spiritual health,” “emotional health,” and “financial health,” among others. These have also been linked to lower stress levels and mental and physical wellbeing.

Physical health

In a person who experiences physical health, bodily functions are working at peak performance, due not only to a lack of disease, but also to regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate rest. We receive treatment, when necessary, to maintain the balance.

Physical wellbeing involves pursuing a healthful lifestyle to decrease the risk of disease. Maintaining physical fitness, for example, can protect and develop the endurance of a person’s breathing and heart function, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition.

Physical health and well-being also help reduce the risk of an injury or health issue. Examples include minimizing hazards in the workplace, practicing safe sex, practicing good hygiene, or avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs.

Mental health

Mental health refers to a person’s emotional, social, and psychological wellbeing. Mental health is as important as physical health to a full, active lifestyle.

It is harder to define mental health than physical health, because, in many cases, diagnosis depends on the individual’s perception of their experience. With improvements in testing, however, some signs of some types of mental illness are now becoming “visible” in CT scans and genetic testing.

Mental health is not only the absence of depression, anxiety, or another disorder.

It also depends on the ability to:

• enjoy life
• bounce back after difficult experiences
• achieve balance
• adapt to adversity
• feel safe and secure
• achieve your potential

Physical and mental health are linked. If chronic illness affects a person’s ability to complete their regular tasks, this may lead to depression and stress, for example, due to money problems.

A mental illness such as depression or anorexia nervosa can affect body weight and function.

It is important to approach “health” as a whole, rather than its different types.

Factors for good health

Health depends on a wide range of factors.

A person is born with a range of genes, and in some people, an unusual genetic pattern can lead to a less-than-optimum level of health.

Environmental factors play a role. Sometimes the environment alone is enough to impact health. Other times, an environmental trigger can cause illness in a person who is genetically susceptible.

Access to healthcare plays a role, but the WHO suggests that the following factors may have a bigger impact on health than this:

• where a person lives
• the state of the surrounding environment
• genetics
• income
• education level
• relationships with friends and family

These can be summarized as:

• The social and economic environment: Including how wealthy a family or community is
• The physical environment: Including parasites that exist in an area, or pollution levels
• The person’s characteristics and behaviors: Including the genes that a person is born with and their lifestyle choices

According to the WHO, the higher a person’s socioeconomic status (SES), the more likely they are to enjoy good health, a good education, a well-paid job, afford good healthcare when their health is threatened.

People with a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to experience stresses related to daily living, such as financial difficulties, marital disruption, and unemployment, as well as social factors, such as marginalization and discrimination. All these add to the risk of poor health.

A low socio-economic status often means less access to healthcare. People in developed countries with universal healthcare services have longer life expectancies than people in developed countries without universal healthcare.

Cultural issues can affect health. The traditions and customs of a society and a family’s response to them can have a good or bad impact on health. For example, around the Mediterranean, people are more likely to consume high levels of fruits, vegetables, and olive, and to eat as a family, compared with cultures with a high consumption of fast food.

How a person manages stress will affect health. People who smoke, drink, or take drugs to forget their problems are likely to have more health problems later than someone who combats stress through a healthful diet and exercise.

Men and women are prone to different health factors. In societies where women earn less than men or are less educated, they may be at greater risk than men for poor health.

Preserving health

The best way to maintain health is to preserve it through a healthful lifestyle, rather than waiting until we are sick to put things right.

This state of enhanced well-being is referred to as wellness.

The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois IL defines wellness as:

“A state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential. This is a life-long process of moving towards enhancing your physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental well-being.”

Wellness promotes an active awareness of and participation in health, as an individual and in the community.

Maintaining wellness and optimal health is a lifelong, daily commitment.

Steps that can help us maximize our health include:

• a balanced, nutritious diet, sourced as naturally as possible
• regular exercising
• screening for diseases that may present a risk
• learning to manage stress
• engaging in activities that provide purpose and connection to others
• maintaining a positive outlook and appreciating what you have
• defining a value system, and putting it into action

Peak health will be different for each person, and how you achieve wellness may be different from how someone else does.

It may not be possible to avoid disease completely, but doing as much as we can to develop resilience and prepare the body and mind to deal with problems as they arise is a step we can all take.

Informational Source

4 Insurance Coaching Tips For More Sales

For those who oversee the sales team of an insurance agency, you know that coaching is essential to each agent’s success. Without effective coaching, revenues remain flat. You must inflate your team with confidence so that they’re rolling towards more sales each and every day. Here are 4 insurance coaching tips you need to know to get more sales:

1. One-on-One Meetings

How often do you sit down with each agent individually? Many times, salespeople are hesitant to share what their current struggles are when surrounded by the rest of the team. That’s why you need to sit down with each agent alone from time to time. To have the most effective meetings, have each sales representative come prepared with their sales-related questions and concerns. Listen carefully to what they’re telling you and, together, formulate and record a goal of theirs to achieve. Be sure to revisit the progress of the goal for accountability purposes at the next meeting. One-on-one meetings are also a great opportunity for you to share praises and offer suggestions on how to improve. When conducted properly, these meetings will build a bond of trust, boost positive morale, and provide motivation to achieve sales goals!

2. Coaching Intelligence

Without comprehensive sales reports, how do you know what you need to work on with your sales staff? That’s where sales software like Blitz can help. With full sales reports, you can ensure your sales team consistently achieves its goals. For example, if you want to see how much home insurance one of your agents has sold this quarter, you can pull that report in the sales software. If the amount sold is lower than the goal you had in place, turn this into an opportunity to offer coaching tips to your agent so that they can hit their goal the next quarter. Intelligence like reporting will allow you to pinpoint the areas where your staff is struggling and make adjustments.

3. Phone Coaching

In insurance, sales conversations which take place over the phone are common. Whether in inbound or outbound calls, agents will be selling your services and providing quotes. Over-the-phone sales can be difficult for many agents. This can lead to a decrease in sales performance. Fortunately for you, there are tools to help your agents succeed! With modern technology enhancements, most phone systems and auto dialers offer the ability to record calls. Then, you can listen to your agent’s calls when you need. Another insurance coaching suggestion you can use to your advantage is whisper coaching. Whisper coaching is the ability to be on the call with your agents without the prospect hearing you. It’s like the head coach talking to the quarterback through a headset, but the defense can’t hear him. With stellar coaching tools, you’ll become the Bill Belichick of your agency with a staff full of Tom Brady-caliber agents.

4. Handle Those Objections!

As long as there are people in sales, there will be objections that need to be handled. Objection handling is one of the most difficult parts of the sales conversation your agents will face. For those agents who handle objections effectively, they will rise to stardom in your agency and boost revenue. To help every agent do so, you must first practice with them because practice makes perfect! Have a weekly sales meeting with your staff and go over current objections your staff is facing. Give a scenario and practice. When your employees struggle, walk them through the scenario with coaching tips. One way you can assist your agents in objection handling is to develop an internal guide. A guide is helpful and also prevents agents from interrupting your work with questions.

Informational Source

Do You Need Help Preparing for an Insurance Sales Interview? We Have You Covered.

So, you’ve decided to interview for a new position as an agent at an insurance agency. Perhaps you already have experience in the industry, or maybe you’re making the move to try something entirely new. No matter the circumstance, you’ll have to make your first sale on the day of the interview (that sale being yourself). Why are you the one that the agency owner should hire over all other candidates? What makes you qualified? These and many more are all questions that you will need to consider and address in-depth.

Prepare Yourself

Prior to the big insurance sales interview, you’ll need to be fully prepared. Have yourself or someone else quiz you on elements of your resume, including company history, work history or experiences you’ve learned from. Do you know who is interviewing you? If you do, use this to your advantage to learn more about the person by researching them online to find their professional accomplishments and passions. This will come in handy during the rapport building of the insurance sales interview process! As you prepare, use your resources. There are endless sample interview questions online, so challenge yourself to answer them the best you can!

Know the business and Leverage Past Experience

If you’ve already worked in the insurance industry, you’re ahead of the curve. If not, don’t sweat it! You don’t need to be an industry expert in your field to get the job. Once hired as a brand new insurance agent, you’ll go through training to learn the details of the products, procedures and take a test to become a licensed professional. What you need to do is to prove how your natural and learned skills can help the agency succeed. Below are a few skills every insurance agent needs to prove that they can apply:

1. Verbal Communication

Your interviewee will quickly be able to figure this one out during the sales insurance interview. This is a professional interview so keep the conversation professional.

2. Computer Literacy

An insurance agent will use several different systems daily including lead and customer management systems and email. Literacy in computers is necessary, so bring up any computer programs you’ve worked with when asked.

3. Sales Experience

This is a big one and, although sales can be taught, sales experience will shift you into top consideration for employment. Leverage any sales achievements or goals you met from prior experience. Sales is goal-oriented, so any examples in your life where you achieved goals will prove you are capable.

4. Persistence

An insurance agent must be persistent in order to make sales, so you will need to provide an example or two when the going got tough in your career. Maybe it was staying late to make a few more calls in order to reach your goal or solving a problem for a customer. Persistence can separate success and failure. Even former president Calvin Coolidge knows its significance, having once said: “nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.”

5. Teamwork

The saying goes, “teamwork makes the dream work,” and this couldn’t be more accurate inside an insurance agency. For each agency, staff size can vary, so the ability to work with others is vital to ‘getting stuff done.’ Be sure to provide examples of teamwork when the opportunity presents itself during the sales insurance interview.

The Interview Day

The big day is here and you’re ready to go. Unless otherwise stated, you must dress professionally (a suit along with dress shoes unless otherwise stated by the interviewee). If you don’t have a suit and can’t afford a brand new one, don’t sweat it. Most communities have thrift stores with professional clothing at a discount rate. Bring to the interview a pen, notepad or padfolio, along with extra resumes to hand out during the sales insurance interview (in case your interviewees(s) ask). Give yourself plenty of time to get there; experts recommend ten minutes is best. Be cool as you get ready to enter the interview room. Don’t forget to breathe! This will help you remain calm.

During The Interview

The test has come. It’s now time to sell yourself during the sales insurance interview. The good news is that if you’ve arrived on time, dressed professionally, and appropriately groomed, you’ve passed the appearance test. Give a firm handshake to your interviewee(s) and take your seat. Don’t forget that you should be interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you! Ask questions about tasks that will be expecting of you, time commitments, etc. You need to determine if this is the person you want to be working for and if the company is a good fit for you. You’re investing in each other, so don’t waste your time or theirs if your gut tells you this job is not a good fit.

Put the Cherry on Top

A few days after the sales insurance interview is over, handwrite a thank you note for the employer’s time and consideration. Include a detail from the interview as well to show you’ve remembered. This simple gesture will speak volumes about your professionalism and appreciation for the opportunity. Handwritten thank-you notes show personalization and care.

Informational Source

May marks National Women’s Health Month and is dedicated to educating women about how to take control of their health and make positive changes.

Despite this, the inadequacy of health care coverage continues to play a pivotal role in women pursuing preventive care or services and following through on recommended tests and treatments.

In addition, the growing cost of health care means medical bills can add up quickly. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, 26% of women indicated they delayed or went without care due to costs, and the same number reported having trouble paying medical bills within the past year.

Fortunately, innovations in group critical illness insurance have helped create a turning point in addressing women’s health issues. Depending on the plan, traditional critical illness coverage can pay benefits when a person experiences a covered serious illness, such as a stroke, coma, cancer and more. Insurers understand now more than ever the challenges women face — medically and financially — and are adapting their plans to include more benefits covering diseases that impact women.

This could be a particularly time to talk about this kind of coverage with your group health clients.

Meeting women’s holistic health needs

Critical illness coverage can be particularly relevant to women’s health needs. For example, heart health is a major issue for women. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death in American women, claiming more than 400,000 lives each year, according to the American Heart Association. Critical illness coverage can help with expenses related to heart attack, cardiac arrest and more — and at a time when recovery should be the most important thing, the high cost of medical treatment can be overwhelming.

But critical illness coverage is not just for the heart. Women account for almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Similarly, two to three times more women than men develop multiple sclerosis, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Companies like Aflac offer benefits as part of their group critical illness coverage for these diseases in case of a diagnosis.

Another innovative benefit for health screenings helps cover tests performed as the result of preventive care, including diagnostic procedures ordered in connection with routine examinations. This can encourage women, who often put their family’s health concerns over their own, to be proactive.

Showing care and focusing on what matters most

Workers and consumers alike are increasingly looking to businesses to do their part in helping take care of their employees beyond traditional benefits. That is why supplemental coverage, which is different than health insurance, can be important in helping demonstrate care for employees. Insureds choose how they want to use their cash benefits, allowing them to focus less on their finances and more on recovery.

As you connect with clients during National Women’s Health Month, see how innovations in group critical illness coverage can help empower women to better take care of themselves and live fearless and get help with expenses health insurance doesn’t cover.

Informational Source

Searching for life insurance can be a tedious task, considering the implications and complexity of certain policies. Looking for low cost life insurance can add to the complexity of the search, but luckily there are many companies that specialize in this type of policy.

Shop Around

The cost of your premiums will depend on the type of policy you select, your desired amount of coverage, risk and medical condition.

Conduct the Search

Start by obtaining a quote from your insurance agent, if applicable. You might also want to use quote comparison tools to secure rates from other providers in the industry, such as those offered by AccuQuote and NetQuote. These online tools may not offer quotes from every available insurance company, so it is important to do some additional research to find out if there are better options available to you at a lower cost.

Compile a List of Providers

Reputable and financially stable companies offering affordable life insurance products and high customer satisfaction ratings include:

• American General has been in the insurance industry and served over 13 million customers in the last 160 years. Claims and benefits paid out in the past five years total $36 billion. The company has also received the MarketTools, Inc. CustomerSat Achievement in Customer Excellence six years in a row.
• ING possesses over $460 billion in assets and currently services 13 million customers.
• Northwestern Mutual is the nation’s largest provider of life insurance products and has $202 billion in assets. The 155 year old company currently serves three million clients, and is ranked on the Fortune 500 list.
• Prudential Financial is 137 years old and serves clients in 38 distinct countries and territories. The company also possesses more than one-trillion dollars in assets.
• Metlife serves 90 million customers worldwide and has over 140 years of experience in the insurance industry.
• New York Life Insurance, a member of the Fortune 500 list, possesses over 138 years of service in the insurance business. The company also has $287 million in assets under the care of management.

Research Top Providers

Before securing a policy with a life insurance company, make sure you aren’t signing up for a product that is cheap, yet offers no real value. Check out company ratings through Moody’s or A.M. Best to find out if the company you decide to purchase a policy through is credible and financially secure.

Policy Options

It is much easier to secure life insurance when you are younger and in good health because your risk to companies will be substantially lower, making the premiums more cost-efficient.

If you do have medical conditions, disclose this information in the initial application and the insurance company should be willing to discuss alternatives that may be available to you.

Keeping Costs Low

Term life insurance guarantees that a certain amount of funds will be disbursed if the covered individual passes away during the period of time that the policy is valid. Some policies have a return on premium option that allows you to collect the premiums you have paid in over the duration of the policy at the end of the term.

Most financial planners recommend term insurance because it is simple to understand and is generally more affordable than whole life insurance.

Consider coverage provided by your employer since group rates tend to be a lot cheaper than independent policies.

Selecting a Policy That’s Right for You

When negotiating the terms of your life insurance policy with the company you select, present the competing quote. This grants you bargaining power and also helps to lock in the lowest rate possible.

Be sure to carefully review the terms and conditions of the policy and seek clarification, if necessary, prior to committing.

Informational Source

It’s upsetting enough when a loved one dies, but it can be difficult if you don’t know how to find out if someone has a life insurance policy to figure out exactly what his or her assets are worth. There are several ways to determine if someone has a life insurance policy. If none of these methods work, you can also hire an investigator to research every potential avenue of information.

How to Find Out if Someone Has a Life Insurance Policy

If you’re curious about whether or not your relatives have life insurance policies while they are still alive, the only way to find out is to ask them. You can’t write away to banks, life insurance companies, or their employers and ask; the information is confidential. If, however, a relative has died, there are several steps you can take to find out whether or not they had life insurance. The following steps assume that you have a copy of the person’s death certificate, duly endorsed or stamped by the state as an official and legal copy of the death certificate, and/or the executor of the estate of the deceased.

Look Through Financial Records

Look for a paper trail showing premiums paid to life insurance companies. Review cancelled checks, checkbook records, and credit card statements. If you see the name of a life insurance company, contact the company and explain the situation. They will not release information to you over the telephone but may ask for legal proof that the person is deceased and that you have the legal right to review their financial records.

This method isn’t foolproof. Some insurance premiums may be paid in one lump sum or the policy may have been paid off years ago, with no recent record of premium payments. If you don’t find a record of a life insurance policy, don’t give up but continue on with another avenue of inquiry.

Contact Employers

If the deceased was employed at the time of death, the executor should contact the company’s human resources department and ask if they provided life insurance. Many companies provide life insurance as part of their benefits package. The human resource department should be able to help you file the appropriate paperwork to process the claim.

Veterans Administration

Many people who served in the military purchased life insurance benefits, especially veterans of active wars. Such benefits may increase over time. If you know your relative served in one of the branches of the military, you’ll need a copy of his or her official discharge paperwork as well as a death certificate. Start with the Department of Veterans Affairs near you and call them for more information.

MIB Solutions

MIB Solutions is a company that helps people find lost life insurance policies. Their records go back only about 12 years, so any policies older than that may not be in their databases. But with 170 million records on file, there’s a good chance they may be able to help. The cost is around $75 per search.

Investigative Services

As a last resort, you can hire a professional investigator to help you. Paul D. Archibald is a former insurance company executive who maintains a database of nearly all life insurance companies. For a fee, he can help you find out if your deceased relative had a life insurance policy.

Unclaimed Life Insurance

If despite your best efforts you fail to locate a life insurance policy, there’s still a chance of finding it through Missing Money. Their database contains listings for unclaimed life insurance policies and other accounts, such as bank accounts.

Plan Ahead

As you can see, there’s no easy way of how to find out if someone has a life insurance policy. It’s critical to plan ahead if you obtain life insurance and talk to your loved ones, especially the elderly and ill members of the family, to fully understand their financial matters before they become incapacitated or pass away.

For yourself, make a list of all the insurance policies you have, including your life insurance policy. List the company, policy number, and details or make a copy of the policy papers. Place these in a safe deposit box or leave a copy with the attorney who has your will on file. It’s a good idea to talk to an attorney and draw up a will so that if you should die unexpectedly, your family won’t have to struggle through legal paperwork while they’re grieving.

Informational Source