Should life insurance companies be allowed to review the results of genetic tests conducted on potential clients who are applying for policies?
Despite privacy considerations, many experts contend that non-disclosure could spell the end of the life insurance market as we know it. Someone who knows he is prone to a fatal disease and is destined to die soon could stock up on high-pay-out policies. On the other hand, those whose tests reveal lower risks would buy less insurance.
Last month, Britain became the first country in the world to allow insurers to ask for test results. And although approval has only been given so far to a test for Huntington’s disease, 10 other tests are in the works and are awaiting similar approval.
People who are found to be at high risk due to genetic test results could very quickly find themselves to be uninsurable. This has led some public-policy specialists to suggest that governments may have to step in and provide some sort of safety net for such persons.
Source: Testing Times, The Economist, October 21, 2000.
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