We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Finance

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

How Do I Become a Medical Underwriter?

By Jessica F. Black
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 21,442
Share

Although there are several ways to become an underwriter, the most successful route is to obtain a degree and gain experience in the field. Medical underwriters usually have to perform highly complex duties, including risk assessment, insurance application evaluation, and authorizing various insurance policies. This profession has a variety of fields, and you should choose a specialty area to pursue in order to become a medical underwriter. Choices may include life, medical, or dental insurance, and most of these choices have slightly different training and educational procedures. Once you have determined which career path suits you, you will need to research several schools that have programs that will help you become a medical underwriter.

After you have chosen a four year undergraduate university, you may want to consider pursuing a bachelor's degree in administrative business, finance, business law, or accounting. A college adviser may be able to assist you with choosing any additional courses needed to become a medical underwriter. Most students may be advised to take several courses in pre-medical studies to familiarize themselves with medical vocabulary and other necessary information needed to assess a client's medical history. Business courses are essential to understanding the technical portion of this career and should be your primary focus throughout school. Some students may decide to continue their education and achieve a master's degree in a related field, which may increase career options in this profession.

An internship in an administrative position in a health services field may also help you gain experience that will benefit your future career. There are also courses that you can take that lead to certification and, although it may not be required in most jurisdictions, it may expedite the process to become a medical underwriter. These are generally short training courses designed to provide you with training certificates in this field, and most of these programs can be found on the Internet.

In addition to education, experience, and training, you will need to have excellent computer skills and be able to work with a variety of programs used in the medical field. Critical thinking, problem solving skills, and successful research techniques are also important to performing the duties involved in being a medical underwriter. Interpersonal skills are also needed because you are in constant contact with clients, coworkers, and other business professionals. There are specific guidelines that you will need to follow when assessing insurance cases, and you should make sure that you are up-to-date with all proper procedures.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By Soulfox — On Apr 21, 2014

@Melonlity -- it might be a bit premature to claim that underwriting has been eliminated by Obamacare. Most people in the insurance and health industries are still trying to figure out what impact the new law will have. The same is true of consumers. That's not to say that one shouldn't use caution (that's good advice for any career), but the prospects for the medical underwriting field might not be as dire as some have claimed.

By Melonlity — On Apr 21, 2014

Approach this career with caution. There is little doubt that Obamacare has changed quite a bit and the observation that the new law eliminates underwriting has been uttered by more than a few state officials.

That's not saying there is no future in that career. It is, however, a bit of advice -- don't jump into it without knowing all the details of how insurance laws in the United States have changed.

Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/how-do-i-become-a-medical-underwriter.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.