As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in our country, we want to ensure we’re providing you the flexibility and resources you need to continue to run your business and protect clients. At North American, we are committed to being here for the long-term. We’ll be here for you as the situation continues to evolve, all the while focused on the health and safety of our distribution partners, customers and employees. Thank you for your business.
Please click on the topics below for a more detailed description on each subject.
Updated: 3/25/21
We are changing how we will handle pending applications in order to account for paramedical vendors who may not be in operation in certain areas. The following changes are effective immediately, including cases that have already been submitted.
TIA is valid for 90 days maximum. TIA guidelines will remain the same and will terminate automatically on the earliest of:
As we closely monitor COVID-19, a completed Statement of Health and Insurability form will continue to be required for all New Business and Policy Change cases. For non-1035 cases, the Statement of Health form will be required upon policy delivery. For 1035 cases, the Statement of Health will be required prior to initiating the 1035 exchange.
Effective Tuesday, April 14, 2020, we implemented the following temporary changes to our New Business and Policy Change underwriting guidelines. For all cases not already approved or issued, we will postpone any applications on individuals of the following issues ages* and table ratings:
Issue age | Maximum Table Rating | Maximum Flat Extra |
---|---|---|
0 - 60 | Table 6 | $9.00 per thousand |
61 - 70 | Table 4 | $6.00 per thousand |
71 - 75 | Table 2 | $3.00 per thousand |
76 - 79 | Standard | N/A |
80 - up | No offer - Postpone | N/A |
This applies to all products and:
*Issue age is determined by applicable product rules.
If you aren't currently using our e-App process, acceptable forms of submission for documents are as follows:
Note: Images of documents that are captured via a camera, program or an APP can be accepted, regardless of the program used.
Our vendors have provided us with the current state of their operations and status of their business continuity plans. It is important to note that our vendors are complying with all state, county, and local government directives. To comply with these directives, some areas of the country might experience delays in completing paramedical exams or may be unable to provide these services. Since these directives are frequently changing, please contact your preferred paramedical vendor for availability in your area.
Paramedical exam process updates:
When scheduling appointments to complete paramedical exams, our vendors will now ask the applicant about signs of fever or respiratory distress, recent travel, and close contact with others who have these symptoms or have recently traveled. The answers to these questions will determine the timing of the paramedical appointment. The examiner will also confirm the same information about themselves.
Lab processing:
Our lab companies are operational, have business continuity plans, and do not expect any impacts in processing time.
Medical records providers:
Our medical records providers have also confirmed that they are operational, have business continuity plans, and have stated that there may be some delays in receiving medical records from certain medical facilities. Overall, we are experiencing minimal delays in receiving medical records.
North American has partnered with Clinical Reference Laboratory (CRL) on a new service to provide lab results to clients electronically. In order to take advantage of this service, clients must provide a cell phone number to the examiner when completing their paramed requirements. If a client does not provide a cell phone number, this new service will not be available but lab results can still be requested by contacting New Business or Policy Change. In the near future, the CRL Health Savvy card will no longer be available on Forms Factory or mailed with the policy packet.
How it works
When labs are completed for North American and sent to CRL by the examiner's office, clients will receive a text message indicating the lab results are available once CRL has finished analyzing them. This text will typically be received 7-10 business days after the samples are collected. Within the text message there will be a link for the client to access their lab results. When the client accesses the link, they will be taken through a validation process that includes providing their phone number, date of birth, and SMS text verification. After validation is successfully completed, the client will be presented with a welcome statement and their complete lab report. The lab report will be in an easy-to-read format that will clearly show if the test results are within normal range. Test results can be exported as a PDF document for the purpose of saving and printing, and will be available for 7 years.
COVID-19 antibody testing
Also available with this new service is the opportunity for clients to choose to have a COVID-19 antibody test using the original blood sample. A COVID-19 antibody test can determine whether an individual has had a past infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This testing is being provided solely for the benefit of clients and the results will not be made available to North American. There will be a small fee of $14.50 that the client must pay via credit card if they choose to take advantage of this service. The COVID-19 antibody testing will be available for 5 weeks from the date the sample was collected. Clients will be provided the option for the COVID-19 antibody testing when they access their lab results through CRL. When the results are available, the client will receive a text message with a link to access the COVID-19 antibody test results.
Two processes – eDelivery with DocuSign® and PDF Delivery – are available to review and download policy documents electronically to help eliminate the need for in-person meetings. Select the option for electronic policy delivery in ExactApp and your case will proceed through the process that matches eligibility requirements
!
eDelivery with DocuSign®:
When submitting a new business application either through SimpleSubmit®, or through a paper application submitted with the eConsent form, our eDelivery with DocuSign process allows you and your client to review, sign, and download policy documents electronically, eliminating the need for in-person delivery.
This process is available for:
Resources
PDF Delivery:
Allows policies and other requirements to be emailed when submitting the application via SimpleSubmit or including the eConsent form when submitting a paper application. In addition to the electronic version, the administrative office will send a physical copy of the policy to the agent in the PDF Delivery process.
This process is available for:
Please be aware that emailing policies may not be available in all states. Clients residing in foreign countries are only eligible for the PDF Delivery process.
EFT Update
All policies issued on or after January 25, 2021 via the eDelivery with DocuSign process will include the updated EFT form as follows:
Our secure email protection service through ZixCorp makes it seamless for you to receive, read and reply to all encrypted email communication we send you.
Download our flyer to learn more about options available to communicate securely online.
Many states have adopted and communicated emergency orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For your and your clients' convenience, we have included links to state emergency orders on our newly created COVID-19 client resource page.
In these challenging times, state insurance regulators are issuing bulletins which address insurance carriers making allowance for customers who have been impacted. These temporary procedures do not waive the policyowners' obligation to pay premiums due but may allow the extra time in which to pay them. If you have a client that has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and needs additional time to make their premium payment, please contact our Customer Contact team to discuss the accommodations available.
We’re keeping it simple for policyowners to access inforce policy information on the website.
North American's policy change team is here to you keep your business moving forward. We would like to remind you of a few digital options for managing inforce policies:
Please continue to use the paper application/.pdf and form process for other inforce policy change requests, including:
When submitting paper documents, the secure document upload tool on NorthAmericanCompany.com offers the quickest option.
We have great resources to keep your business moving and help you remain compliant when you can’t be face-to-face with clients.
More cases can now be run through WriteAway, North American's accelerated underwriting process, as the maximum face amount for ages 18 – 50 doubles from $1 million to $2 million. The maximum face amount for ages 51 – 60 will stay at $500,000.
WriteAway can offer your healthiest clients the ability to secure death benefit protection without an exam or lab. Your client can simply fill out a few personal health and history questions as part of their e-App, or paper application in all states but California, to determine if they are eligible for this process.
To learn more about WriteAway, please visit northamericancompany.com/writeaway or view the resources linked below.
WriteAway Resources:
There is no specific COVID-19 exclusion impacting death benefit payments of our life insurance policies. Please note that any death that occurs during the contestable period requires a routine contestable investigation, as defined by the incontestability terms in the policy. An investigation includes the review of multiple variables (including accuracy of information presented on the application, policy provisions and applicable state laws, rules and regulations).
North American does not provide legal advice. If your agents or your clients have specific questions with regard to state laws, we recommend that you discuss those with your own independent legal counsel.
North American is committed to providing resources to help you continue to run your business in the midst of challenges from the current environment.
North American's eBusiness Solutions is also available to help make doing business virtually easier.
DocuSign, ZixCorp and CRL are independent third-party companies and do not endorse North American's products or services and are not affiliated with North American.
Custom Guarantee UL (policy form series LS185), Classic Term (policy form series LS188), and ADDvantage Term (policy form series LS174), or state variation including all applicable riders and endorsements, are issued by North American Company for Life and Health Insurance, Administrative Office, One Sammons Plaza, Sioux Falls, SD 57193. Products, features, riders, endorsements, or issue ages may not be available in all jurisdictions. Restrictions and limitations may apply.
Indexed Universal Life insurance products are not an investment in the “market” or in the applicable index and are subject to all policy fees and charges normally associated with most universal life insurance.
Sammons Financial® is the marketing name for Sammons® Financial Group, Inc.’s member companies, including North American Company for Life and Health Insurance®. Annuities and life insurance are issued by, and product guarantees are solely the responsibility of, North American Company for Life and Health Insurance.
FOR AGENT USE ONLY. NOT TO BE USED FOR CONSUMER SOLICITATION PURPOSES.
1244NW-10
FOR AGENT USE ONLY. NOT TO BE USED FOR CONSUMER SOLICITATION PURPOSES.
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