At the beginning of 2021, the world was optimistic that COVID-19 was going to run its course and we would return to a more normal version of what we were before 2020. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and the pandemic continued to rampage through 2021 and into 2022.
As RGA assessed root causes of mortality and longer-term morbidity, insurers and consumers alike pursued wellness. Practical applications submitted by RGA’s experts highlighted technologies and behavioral opportunities to support healthier lifestyles.
RGA’s Digital Mental Health: Emerging Trends and Implications for Insurance presentation provides insight about the ways to effectively manage mental health issues resulting from isolation and other pandemic-driven conditions. More than ever, digital mental health is helping close the treatment gap, improve access to services, and lower costs of treatment to improve the customer journey.
Even before COVID-19 began, consumers had begun acclimating to new technologies that fundamentally change and improve how they live. The pandemic accelerated those changes in a positive way. In Life Insurance in the Gig Economy, RGA examines the increasing numbers of traditional workers who are seeking flexibility, and how life insurers are taking notice of this rising and underserved market.
At RGA, we recognize technological advancement and innovation will continue to proliferate even beyond the pandemic, and we will continue to be active leaders in applying medical advancements in the insurance industry. Cancer, for example, will still exist long after the pandemic fades, and there is great potential in researching this and other chronic diseases. In December 2021, RGA presented Liquid Biopsy Technology and the Impacts on Insurance, highlighting the prospects for this technology to aid in early cancer detection and play a meaningful role in improving future health and wellness.
As 2022 begins, the pandemic remains. However, change is constant, and we look forward to sharing what we’ve learned.