Two topics that have so far been difficult to come together
Today in an interview with us: Dr. Bernd Reinhold, founder of Eddimed with the brand Diabsurance, independent insurance broker and type 1 diabetic himself.
We met at the Dedoc event “Diabetes you can touch” Met in Munich in May and Bernd has a very exciting story about occupational disability insurance (BU) for diabetics. He will tell us a little more about this in the interview.
Bernd: Hello, thank you very much for the invitation!
At the Dedoc event and in the Looper Community you meet a lot of cool people who, thanks to technologies like the CGM[1]-Sensors and Closed loop systems, keep their diabetes within a normal range and therefore have a good chance of being able to live into old age without any diabetic complications.
The insurance industry is very hesitant to take these technological developments into account. The majority of BU insurance policies exclude diabetics from the outset or charge premium surcharges of 150-200 percent. This is no longer appropriate for those affected who want to achieve their therapy goals and take out health insurance today.
Why should you take out occupational disability insurance?
Bernd: One in four people will be unable to work at least temporarily during their working life. The main causes are diseases of the psyche or nervous system, the musculoskeletal system and cancer (see picture, GDV 2022). The statutory disability pension was on average only around 1000 euros in 2023 (DRV).
After the Consumer advice center NRW “[BI insurance] covers a risk that threatens the existence of the company and is, along with private liability insurance, the most important private insurance.” Of course, this also applies to diabetics.
Illustration 1: Main causes of occupational and occupational disability (GDV 2022)
So what does BU insurance for diabetics look like?
Bernd: Epidemiologists have calculated that diabetics who achieve their treatment goals over the years only have a slightly increased risk of occupational disability. This means that they can in principle be insured with a small surcharge via a normal BU contract.
As Eddimed, we offer the insurer the service of regularly determining a risk score from the customer's CGM data during the BU contract term and transmitting the result of this risk score to the insurer. This risk score has the states green, yellow, red - like a traffic light.
Now it is in the interest of both the insurer and the customer that the risk score is largely in the green. Short phases in which the diabetes is not in the right range, for example on vacation, are not a problem.
What happens if glucose levels are not in the green range for a long time?
Bernd: Then we sit down (virtually) and look for possible causes and solutions. Here we will also focus a lot on networking with the diabetes communities.
How did you come up with the idea of a BU specifically for diabetics?
Bernd: This happened gradually. On the one hand, I know several older (type 1) diabetics from the diabetes community who are fit even after decades with the disease and have no consequential damage. By “older” I mean 65-75 year olds with 50-60 years of diabetes in their bones or organs. These are role models for myself and my diabetes, especially when you compare the technical possibilities they had back then.
On the other hand, I have friends who work in the insurance industry. At some point we realized that diabetics practically do not get BU insurance and that the risks could be made more calculable by monitoring CGM data.
This then developed into the insurance use case for my startup with the aim of being able to offer BU insurance to 18-50 year olds who, thanks to good diabetes control, will not have any consequential damage until old age, similar to those mentioned above.
What does a BU consultation look like in detail?
Bernd: Advice usually takes place virtually and remotely and can therefore take place with anyone who is entitled to BU insurance in Germany. For those in the Stuttgart area: If desired and the journey is not too far, we can also meet in person.
A consultation initially consists of the following three steps:
1. First contact via diabsurance.de (the form, phone or email).
2. Non-binding initial consultation to get an overview of your current personal situation – professional, health-related, financial – and different future scenarios that need to be secured.
3. Filling out a health questionnaire and making an anonymous preliminary risk inquiry to the insurer.
Depending on this, the next steps may arise.
Does the insurer receive my CGM data?
Bernd: No, only in a highly summarized form as a risk score (green, yellow, red). The CRM data is processed by Eddimed in a GDPR-compliant manner.
You mentioned above that you are diabetic yourself. What does your everyday life look like and what tools and aids do you use?
I have had type 1 diabetes since 1992 and an insulin pump and CGM sensors since 2020. My diabetes consultant made me aware of Looper Community, AndroidAPS, Nightscout and xDrip and that was enormous progress. I owe a big thank you to the open source community. Overall, my diabetes is going quite well, with an HbA1c that is close to normal and a time-in-range better than 80%. However, it is quite unstable during physical activity and at night, so I have to take corrective action quite often. At night I have benefited from Hyporest over the last few months and at least avoided having to brush my teeth again in the middle of the night when I needed to eat a few carbohydrates or had a food flash. This is also a positive development.
And last but not least: will you see each other again in Mainz?
Yes, exactly. I'll be at the next one on October 10th & 11th too “Hands-on diabetes” event and I look forward to meeting you in person.
If you would like to contact me beforehand: https://diabsurance.de/.
