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The differences between health underwriters and underwriting specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health underwriter has an average salary of $81,313, which is higher than the $63,325 average annual salary of an underwriting specialist.
The top three skills for a health underwriter include underwriting guidelines, medical history and risk assessments. The most important skills for an underwriting specialist are customer service, underwriting guidelines, and financial statements.
| Health Underwriter | Underwriting Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,313 | $63,325 |
| Hourly rate | $39.09 | $30.44 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 52,926 | 25,164 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A health underwriter is faced with the responsibility of determining if an individual who has applied for a health insurance plan truly qualifies for it. This job is very important, as they will be tasked with ensuring that individuals do not only buy a health insurance plan when they are sick or require urgent medical attention. They may be responsible for choosing which risks a health insurance company will bear and the specific conditions in which clients' health will be covered.
An underwriting specialist is responsible for reviewing clients' applications in availing financial services and determining their eligibility by analyzing credit scores and risk potential. Underwriting specialists record all necessary information and may ask for additional requirements for further investigation. They assess policy applications and implement terms and conditions upon approval and ensure that the clients understood the process to prevent miscommunication and payment delays. An underwriting specialist must have extensive knowledge of the loan and insurance disciplines to identify coverage and limitations for efficient contract negotiations.
Health underwriters and underwriting specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Underwriter | Underwriting Specialist | |
| Average salary | $81,313 | $63,325 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $117,000 | Between $39,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | AIG |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a health underwriter and an underwriting specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Underwriter | Underwriting Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between health underwriters' and underwriting specialists' demographics:
| Health Underwriter | Underwriting Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.3% Female, 59.7% | Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 5.8% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |