Type 2 Diabetes in China - Considering Both Insurance Products and Individual Health Factors.

Abstract

For the past 30 years, the increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China has reached epidemic proportions. As a result, risk assessment guidelines need to be updated by taking into consideration of improvements in medical treatment and lifestyle intervention. This especially applies to living insurance benefit policies (such as critical illness and total permanent disability) and to medical products (hospitalization reimbursement and certain DM-related treatment benefits). This will require taking into account the current epidemic figures of T2DM in China in pricing, targeting the correct insured group for the DM products and getting the correct risk profile by applying a dynamic underwriting protocol (such as using the rewards for medical intervention, and for primary prevention efforts to screen individuals who are at high-risk of diabetes). This article analyzes both studies and surveys that been conducted in China showing the progress of this epidemic.