With Halloween coming up in the next few weeks, a couple of your clients may find themselves scared of something other than solving one of Jigsaw’s Saw puzzles or running away from Jason at Camp Crystal Lake. Believe it or not, some people suffer from a common fear called iatrophobia.

People with iatrophobia (eye-AT-rah-FO-bee-ah) have an extreme fear of doctors or medical tests. The word originates from “iatros,” the Greek word for healer, and “phobos,” which means fear. Someone with iatrophobia may refuse to seek medical attention even when they’re very sick or showing signs of a serious illness.

Some other common signs include fear of certain medical procedures, the pain of certain procedures, an anticipated diagnosis, and fear that developed due to a bad experience with a certain doctor or during a prior visit to a doctor. Others could be petrified of needles and are scared that they will have to have a blood test or vaccinations during their doctor’s visit.

How common is iatrophobia? According to the Cleveland Clinic, one survey found that 1 in 3 Americans avoid going to their doctor, even when they think they need medical care. Specific phobic disorders affect about 12% of American adults and 19% of children and adolescents.

AIP Marketing Alliance is focusing on this fear – and many others during this scary month – because most life insurance products involve some kind of medical exam during the underwriting process. A “med exam” is issued to determine the applicant’s risk, including expected life expectancy, with healthier applicants more likely to get lower insurance rates. Older applicants and consumers with health conditions could pay more or possibly be declined.

Sample information your client/prospect may need to submit could include names and dosages of medications, doctors visited in the last five years, medical conditions (dates of diagnoses, treatment, doctor treating, etc.), and standard exam information (height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, urine sample, blood draw, EKG over age 50).

By adding the above-mentioned “pressures” into the underwriting equation, you also may run into clients/prospects with hemophobia (fear of blood), nosocomephobia (fear of hospitals), and trypanophobia (fear of needles). The medical exam alone could delay processing the client’s application, as the life insurance carrier needs this information to move forward (or decline).

UNLESS… you leverage a carrier with a life insurance product that takes the iatrophobia out of the equation.

AIP Marketing Alliance has non-medical (no blood or urine) life insurance products available for clients that fit that profile. Many of our carriers also have accelerated underwriting programs available for healthy clients where the carrier can waive the requirement for a medical exam if your client meets the carrier/program’s requirements.

To simplify these products for AIPMA wholesalers and agents, our marketing team has created a grid that highlights 25+ contracted life insurance carriers with accelerated underwriting programs. This document is approved for financial professional use only.

Let’s try to eliminate those doctor nightmares together for your clients. Contact AIPMA’s Business Development team at (800) 783-5206 Press #2 or marketing@aipma.com to receive our Accelerated Underwriting Chart or to discuss potential solutions and options for your client/prospect.