Business Underwriters Associates, LLC

COVID-19 and doing business with John Hancock

05-13-2021

05/13/2021

Effective immediately, John Hancock is pleased to announce they have eliminated the following COVID-19 application requirements that were instituted last year:

  • The supplemental application question “Have you, or anyone in your household, been exposed to any person known to have tested positive for COVID-19?” 
  • The supplemental Declaration of Insurability delivery requirement for insureds over age 65 and for all cases with a 1035 exchange

Underwriting reserves the right to request these requirements as needed. If you have any questions, please contact your John Hancock underwriter.

AccessMyLabTM — offering customers a convenient and secure way to view lab results
AccessMyLab, a digital service offered by Clinical Reference Laboratory (CRL), gives customers a secure, easy-to-understand way to see their lab results and gain insights into their health. It’s a simple process:

  • When the paramedical is completed by APPS or IMS-Insurance Medical Services, Inc., the customer provides a phone number on the lab slip (a mobile number is preferred)
  • When the labs are ready, the customer will receive a text message or phone call with instructions on how to view their report — it’s that easy

 

**Updated 6/25/2020**

John Hancock is experiencing favorable outcomes from their collaborations with Human API and Clareto. By enabling access to digital health information in real time and reducing the wait time for medical records by as much as 30-45 days, these digital platforms are expediting the underwriting process and significantly improving the client experience. 

Additional underwriting updates:

  • John Hancock is excited to announce availability of facultative capacity up to $40M, up to and including age 59.
  • In addition, we have resumed accepting and processing applications on individuals up to and including age 90.

**Updated 4/13/2020**
During this unique time, John Hancock will not be making final underwriting offers on cases where the applicant is 80+. We are happy to continue to receive and review submissions for these clients with the goal of moving on them quickly when circumstances change. For any pending submissions in this age group with a formal application and a final underwriting offer, you can expect a call from your John Hancock underwriter shortly to discuss next steps.

John Hancock Insurance has taken the time to carefully review their underwriting practices to determine how to evolve them in the current circumstances. They are pleased to share three important ways they are making it easier for you and your clients to secure coverage during these challenging times:

1. Establishing an alternative to paramed and/or exam when not obtainable

In cases where exams and labs are not possible, John Hancock may consider medical records as a substitute.1

a. For the following ages and amounts they will routinely consider recent medical records as an alternative to a current paramed or exam:   

    i.  Face amounts up to $5 million for ages 18-65
    II. Face amounts up to $3 million for ages 66-70

b. John Hancock may be able to apply this practice to face amounts up to $10 million for ages 18-60 and up to $5 million for ages 61-70, subject to individual case consideration 

For these cases, medical records should include a comprehensive visit with a physical and labs within the last 12 months, accompanied by a completed Part II medical supplement form. All other submissions will be subject to routine age and amount requirements. 

2. Expanding John Hancock ExpressTrack® streamlined underwriting process to include paper applications with no need for a telephone interview 

  • Submissions must include the application (“Part I”), the medical supplement (“Part II”) and any other applicable authorizations
  • All application elements must be submitted simultaneously
  • The medical supplement (“Part II”) is not automatically included in the application kit and it should be completed by the agent
  • Please see below for ExpressTrack criteria and other submission methods

3. Providing their capabilities for EHR access when APS is not available

John Hancock recognizes it is difficult to obtain attending physician statements (APS) at this time, but they have electronic health record (EHR) access capabilities that can be utilized in some cases where an APS is not available. 

In addition to these enhancements, below you will also find other administrative updates. We hope you find all this information useful as we navigate these unprecedented circumstances together.

Expansion of ExpressTrack

To help you continue to place cases as quickly as possible, the ExpressTrack process has been expanded. 2 Here’s what you need to know:

  • NEW! As mentioned above, the traditional paper application has been added as an ExpressTrack submission option. Please remember, all submissions must include the application (“Part I”), the medical supplement (“Part II”) and any other applicable authorizations, and all elements must be submitted simultaneously. No telephone interview will be conducted. Please note: the medical supplement (“Part II”) is not automatically included in the application kit and it should be completed by the agent. 
  • JH Life eTicket, iPipeLine’s Drop Ticket and ApplicInt Multi-Carrier Drop Ticket for term will include a telephone interview with the client to complete medical questions
  • JH Paper Ticket for all single-life products including LTC rider will include a telephone interview with the client to complete medical questions
  • ExpressTrack is not available with iPipeline’s iGO eApp
  • Here’s a list of ExpressTrack-eligible submission methods

ExpressTrack eligibility criteria remain the same:

  • Ages 18-60
  • Face amounts up to and including $3 million
  • All term and permanent single-life products, including the Long-Term Care rider
  • Standard or better risk class 

All other submissions will be subject to routine age and amount requirements. Please note Underwriting reserves the right to request additional information and/or defer any decisions when there is not enough information to render an underwriting assessment.  

John Hancock has created a dedicated COVID-19 Hub with information and updates. 

Please give us a call at 1-800-792-6795 if you have any questions.

 

1. Subject to underwriting discretion.
2. ExpressTrack is not available in the state of New York.