Knowing which carrier to approach for a health-impaired client can be the difference between a placed case and a lost one. Learn how to match the right LTCi carrier to the right health profile, every time.

In long-term care insurance, underwriting is where cases are won or lost. Knowing the general guidelines is not enough. The advisors and specialists who consistently place difficult cases are the ones who have built a mental library of carrier-specific underwriting sweet spots: the conditions, medications, and health profiles where one carrier will consider what others will not.

In this episode of the Buddy Study Podcast, we dig into underwriting sweet spots for individual LTCi, covering the health conditions and medication scenarios that most commonly challenge advisors, and which carriers tend to offer the most flexibility in each category.

We explore:

• What an underwriting sweet spot is and why building a personal library of them matters
• Why mastering sweet spots saves cases, improves placement ratios, and makes advisors more referable
• Height and weight considerations, including carriers with no build chart or gender-separated charts
• Diabetes underwriting across type 1, type 2, insulin dependency, and A1C thresholds
• Recent surgeries, physical therapy, cortisone injections, and reduced waiting period options
• Joint replacements and how carrier flexibility scales with the number of joints replaced
• Off-label prescription medications and which carriers take a more liberal approach
• Pacemakers, cancer history, mental health conditions, and recreational marijuana use
• Table rating, guaranteed issue, and non-insurance alternatives for hard-to-place cases

This episode is designed to help advisors:

• Identify the right carrier earlier in the sales process to avoid surprises and preserve client momentum
• Pre-qualify more confidently when health history adds complexity to a case
• Build a personal underwriting sweet spot reference they can draw on for years
• Become the go-to resource for referral partners who need a knowledgeable LTC planning specialist

CHAPTER MARKERS

0:00 Welcome and Episode Overview
 1:20 What Is an Underwriting Sweet Spot
 2:07 Why Sweet Spots Matter: Saving Cases and Placement Ratios
 6:55 Finding Opportunities Others Miss: The Referral Advantage
 9:08 Height and Weight: Carriers With Lenient Build Charts
 13:36 Diabetes: Type 1, Insulin Dependency, and A1C Thresholds
 21:45 Recent Surgeries, PT, and Cortisone Injection Timelines
 24:11 Joint Replacements: How Carrier Flexibility Scales
 25:57 Medications and Off-Label Prescriptions: The Aetna Advantage
 33:47 Pacemakers, Narcotic Use, and Cardiac Conditions
 37:04 Mental Health, Marijuana, and Cancer History Considerations
 38:42 Table Rating, Guaranteed Issue, and Non-Insurance Alternatives
 45:29 Final Thoughts and Closing Takeaways

📅 Join the Weekly Buddy Study Groups

This podcast is an extension of the Buddy Study Groups, a free educational community for financial professionals.

Weekly Calls:

Individual LTCi Study Group: Tuesdays at 1 PM PT

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Group LTCi Study Group: Thursdays at 1 PM PT

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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.