Part 2 of Windsor's "Highlights of Pacific Life's 2026 Underwriting Symposium" continues the momentum with three discussions that explore the operational and technical realities shaping underwriting today. The reinsurance and carrier panel offers a candid look at capacity, pricing pressures, and how carriers and reinsurers are recalibrating their partnerships in a shifting risk environment.

A leadership round table then turns the spotlight to technology — exploring how automation, data strategy, and emerging tools are reshaping workflows, talent needs, and advisor expectations. "Symposium Part 2" closes with a timely discussion on modern psychiatry, highlighting how new treatments and evolving diagnostic patterns are influencing underwriting philosophy and case‑level decision‑making that directly impact you and your clients.

Bringing together several underwriting and reinsurance leaders, the panel's message was clear: underwriting is changing fast, and advisors who understand these shifts will be better positioned to guide clients and place business.

They emphasized that accurate and complete information is one of the biggest opportunities in underwriting today. Small differences in an impairment — like diabetes — can change an outcome, so strong field underwriting by agents and advisors still matters.

The group also talked about what may be the next major evolution: individual, personalized underwriting. The traditional age‑and‑amount chart may eventually disappear. Instead, each applicant will be evaluated based on their own history, and some may need fewer application requirements than they do today. Technology and data will make this possible, but the goal is simple — more accurate, more customized decisions, and minimal inconvenience for clients and prospects. Advisors should expect underwriting to feel less standardized and more tailored over time.

Another theme was the changing relationship between carriers and reinsurers. Some reinsurers are now helping carriers process applications and sharing both mortality and operational risk. That kind of alignment can influence requirements and speed. Advisors may not see this directly, but it should lead to more consistency and smoother case handling.

The participants also noted a challenge ahead: many experienced underwriters are nearing retirement. AI will help with efficiency — summarizing APS reports, suggesting ratings, and streamlining workflows — but it won't replace human intuition and judgment. The industry needs new talent, and future underwriters will need both technical skill and strong relationship abilities. Advisors should expect some transition as new staff enter the field.

They also highlighted best practices that are helping the industry move forward: sharing ideas, developing new data tools, simplifying processes, and listening closely to distribution pain points. All of this is aimed at making it easier for advisors to do business.

The session closed with a reminder that today's profitability is built on decisions made 10 to 20 years ago. Future results will be shaped by factors such as multi‑cancer early detection tests, mental health trends, long COVID, and new medical advances. Underwriting will continue to evolve as these factors become clearer.

For advisors, the takeaway is straightforward. Underwriting is becoming more data‑driven, more personalized, and more collaborative. Advisors who stay informed, prepare cases well, and communicate clearly will have a real advantage in helping clients secure coverage in a changing landscape.

This leadership round table focused on how technology, strategy, and people all need to evolve together — and the insights translate directly into how advisors can grow their business in a changing environment.

The panel made it clear that technology is now central to how companies serve different market segments. What one group values, another may not, and tech is what helps bridge those differences. But evaluating and choosing the right new tools is challenging, and organizations need to be intentional about where they invest. For advisors, this means working with carriers that are building tools designed around their own practice and their specific client needs.

They also stressed that the entire customer acquisition process should be reimagined. Carriers are trying to meet customers where they are, understand what they value, and design around those expectations. Advisors benefit when technology supports, rather than replaces, the human side of the business. One example was using AI to capture notes and personal details so producers can stay organized and deliver a more personalized experience.

Even with all this innovation, the panel reminded everyone that technology only works when it aligns with business needs and client expectations. The real question is: what insights can we uncover faster that actually help clients make better decisions? Advisors who use tech to simplify conversations and highlight meaningful insights will stand out.

The discussion also touched on talent. Organizations need to create opportunities for people to learn from each other, stay curious, and grow. Technology won't eliminate people, but it will leave behind those who refuse to adapt. Advisors who embrace new tools will have an edge, especially as distribution tends to adapt faster than carriers, who are often slowed down by legacy systems.

Finally, the panel acknowledged that innovation is often slowed by regulation and internal constraints. Even so, carriers need to keep pushing forward and trying new approaches they can stand behind. Advisors who understand these pressures can better navigate delays, set expectations, and position themselves as steady, informed partners to their clients.

Overall, the message was simple. Technology is reshaping the industry, but the advisors who combine tech with strong relationships and clear communication will be the ones who rise with it.

Led by RGA's chief medical director, this session focused on how modern psychiatry and emerging treatments are reshaping both clinical practice and underwriting — and why advisors should understand these shifts when working with clients who have mental health or substance‑related histories.

The discussion began with Alcohol Use Disorder, which remains the most common substance use disorder in the country. It's a chronic, relapsing condition, and relapse risk is highest in the first year after treatment. Even after long periods of sobriety, vulnerability remains. Factors like early onset, prior failed treatments, emotional regulation issues, and co‑existing depression all influence long‑term outcomes. Social stability matters too — steady work, supportive relationships, and strong self‑efficacy reduce relapse risk, while instability increases it.

One important point for advisors is that abstinence alone doesn't tell the whole story. Some high‑functioning individuals maintain long‑term recovery even without full abstinence, and their psychological outcomes can be similar to those who abstain. Because of this, some underwriters are moving away from fixed abstinence rules and toward a more complete, case‑by‑case evaluation. They look at severity, treatment history, medical complications, psychiatric comorbidities, biomarkers, psychosocial stability, and consistency in reporting. While some non‑abstinent cases can be insurable, they require clear evidence of long term stability and no signs of potential relapse.

The session also covered emerging psychiatric treatments like psychedelic‑assisted therapy and ketamine or esketamine for treatment‑resistant depression. These therapies are gaining attention, but they come with their own risks and underwriting considerations. Psychedelics can help disrupt rigid thought patterns and support insight, but they can also cause anxiety, cardiovascular changes, and rare complications. Ketamine can be effective in the short term, but it carries a high potential for misuse, dependence, and dissociation, along with concerning signals in post‑marketing data.

From an underwriting standpoint, prescribed psychedelic or ketamine use signals a more severe psychiatric condition. Underwriters need to confirm that treatment is medically supervised, that the client has a clear diagnosis and history of prior treatment attempts, and that there is no evidence of misuse or escalating doses.

Mental health and substance‑related histories are becoming more nuanced, and underwriting is evolving to match. Advisors should be aware that clients may not fit neatly into old rules or timelines. The more you understand about how underwriters evaluate stability, treatment history, and risk, the better you can set expectations, prepare cases, and advocate for your clients.