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Life underwriter vs insurance underwriter

The differences between life underwriters and insurance underwriters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a life underwriter has an average salary of $78,633, which is higher than the $64,163 average annual salary of an insurance underwriter.

The top three skills for a life underwriter include underwriting decisions, risk selection and health insurance. The most important skills for an insurance underwriter are health insurance, insurance underwriting, and insurance coverage.

Life underwriter vs insurance underwriter overview

Life UnderwriterInsurance Underwriter
Yearly salary$78,633$64,163
Hourly rate$37.80$30.85
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs16,76739,026
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

What does a life underwriter do?

A life underwriter is a person who helps give the insurer a detailed outlook on their health and presents them with a premium. An underwriter works for an insurance company and examines an insurer's eligibility for certain benefits. They then evaluate the application depending on their capacity to pay and their current health status. Also, they need to inform them about the advantages and disadvantages of having life insurance.

What does an insurance underwriter do?

An insurance underwriter specializes in identifying and assessing financial risks in insurance policies. It is their duty to gather and review insurance applications, understand the coverage of policies and claims, determine a client's ability to uphold financial obligations by studying their personal information, and develop strategies to prevent the impact of risks and financial losses. They may also negotiate with external parties while adhering to the company's rules and regulations. Moreover, there are instances when an insurance underwriter must produce progress reports and presentations for managers and executives.

Life underwriter vs insurance underwriter salary

Life underwriters and insurance underwriters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Life UnderwriterInsurance Underwriter
Average salary$78,633$64,163
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $116,000Between $35,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City-Hartford, CT
Highest paying state-Connecticut
Best paying company-Citi
Best paying industry--

Differences between life underwriter and insurance underwriter education

There are a few differences between a life underwriter and an insurance underwriter in terms of educational background:

Life UnderwriterInsurance Underwriter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Life underwriter vs insurance underwriter demographics

Here are the differences between life underwriters' and insurance underwriters' demographics:

Life UnderwriterInsurance Underwriter
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 41.7% Female, 58.3%Male, 33.4% Female, 66.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 5.6% White, 73.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 5.7% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between life underwriter and insurance underwriter duties and responsibilities

Life underwriter example responsibilities.

  • Review individual mortgage origination/post origination documentation and perform database research.
  • Review individual mortgage origination/post origination documentation and perform database research.

Insurance underwriter example responsibilities.

  • Manage patient's records, appointments, and account balances while adhering to HIPPA standards.
  • Manage A/R, A/P, credentialing, surgery scheduling, and coordinate patient referrals to other physicians.
  • Manage operating procedure and accounting systems for payroll, operating expenses, supplies and inventory management and commercial accounts.
  • Prepare all HCFA billing with proper ICD-9 codes and CPT codes for accurate turn around time on payments.
  • Follow up with insurance carriers and patients to expedite the recovery of payment obligations
  • File insurance and process billing and payments, coordinate patients financial arrangements, present treatment plans, verify insurance coverage.
  • Show more

Life underwriter vs insurance underwriter skills

Common life underwriter skills
  • Underwriting Decisions, 9%
  • Risk Selection, 8%
  • Health Insurance, 8%
  • Medical History, 6%
  • Strong Analytical, 6%
  • EKG, 5%
Common insurance underwriter skills
  • Health Insurance, 11%
  • Insurance Underwriting, 8%
  • Insurance Coverage, 8%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Underwriting Guidelines, 7%
  • Insurance Products, 6%

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