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February 10, 2020 at 07:03 PM
Singer Toni Braxton had a massive hit with the song “Unbreak My Heart.” However, in real life, the singer has dealt not only with heartbreak, but also heart disease.
Braxton isn’t alone, with millions of Americans at risk or diagnosed with heart disease. In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds, and heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, causing about 1 in 4 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Related: Let’s Make Life Insurance Conversations More Mainstream)
February is American Heart Month, which gives agents and brokers a chance to talk with clients about the risk of heart disease and share proactive measures they can take to help protect their heart health and alleviate financial stress, including these three tips:
1. Take your risks to heart.
The risk for heart disease increases based on factors such as preexisting health conditions, lifestyle choices, age and family history. Unfortunately, the CDC estimates that nearly half of Americans (47%) have at least one of three key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being a smoker. Understanding your health and taking steps to reduce health risks can go a long way toward a healthier heart.
Although factors like age and family history are outside a person’s control, customers can consider these factors when selecting benefits. In fact, almost three-quarters (74%) of employees said family history is somewhat to extremely influential in guiding their health insurance decisions, according to the 2019-2020 Aflac WorkForces Report.
Wendy Herndon is second vice president of product launch and adoption at 