Asking a client about their income and health history can feel intrusive, until you realize it's the difference between a smooth long-term care approval and a painful decline. Learn how strong field underwriting protects your clients, your pipeline, and your reputation.

In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, a veteran LTCi field underwriting specialist joins the study group to break down how to ask the right questions before an application ever reaches underwriting. From financial discovery to medical red flags, the conversation covers a repeatable process advisors can use to reduce declines, save time, and build trust with clients and referral partners alike. The discussion also works through a live case study, showing how these principles hold up when a real client presents an unfamiliar medical condition.

We explore:

• Why decline rates vary so widely between agents, and what that means for your clients
• The "Say Yes to the Dress" mindset for presenting product options based on budget
• How to uncover a client's true financial capacity to determine the right benefit and duration
• Key medical interview questions around medications, T-scores, MRIs, and lab abnormalities
• Why pending tests, unresolved treatment recommendations, and CPAP compliance can trigger denials
• The often-overlooked underwriting question about a client's plans to live abroad in retirement
• A live case study walking through how to underwrite an unfamiliar diagnosis

This episode is designed to help advisors:

• Ask more thorough, guided questions during the discovery process
• Reduce back-and-forth with underwriters and speed up approvals
• Present product options in a way that builds client trust instead of resistance
• Approach unfamiliar medical conditions with a repeatable underwriting framework

CHAPTER MARKERS

0:00 Welcome & Session Overview
 1:23 Why Field Underwriting Matters: A Decline Rate Story
 7:34 The "Say Yes to the Dress" Approach to Budget Talk
 11:14 Uncovering a Client's True Financial Capacity
 13:57 Building the Health Interview: Meds and T-Scores
 16:28 MRI and Lab Work Red Flags to Watch For
 20:03 Joint Issues, Compliance Gaps, and Denial Triggers
 30:52 The Overlooked Question: International Residency Plans
 32:02 Case Study: Underwriting a Chiari Malformation
 44:18 Inside the Field Underwriting Questionnaire
 47:43 Family History of Longevity and Retirement Risk
 49:47 Closing Thoughts and Advisor Takeaways

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🔎 About Buddy Study Podcast

The Buddy Study Podcast helps insurance professionals and financial planners master Long-Term Care Insurance through case studies, expert interviews, and carrier product updates. Our goal is to help advisors become more confident, efficient, and knowledgeable when helping clients plan for long-term care.