Abstract
Insurers are increasingly moving towards business models that adjust premiums
for life insurance in light of a more detailed assessment of future risk, including using genetic test results. Applicants for life insurance should be aware of the potential disclosure requirements of genetic test results. Where those results suggest an individual’s genetic ‘makeup’ indicates an increased predisposition to developing a particular disease, such as breast cancer or diabetes, insurers may increase premiums or even refuse life insurance cover. Insurers seek this granular genetic data on the basis that it is a more reliable predictor of future risk than broad assumptions about an individual based on their lifestyle choices. However, this ‘differential treatment of asymptomatic
individuals or their relatives on the basis of their actual or presumed genetic
characteristics’ effectively amounts to genetic discrimination.
for life insurance in light of a more detailed assessment of future risk, including using genetic test results. Applicants for life insurance should be aware of the potential disclosure requirements of genetic test results. Where those results suggest an individual’s genetic ‘makeup’ indicates an increased predisposition to developing a particular disease, such as breast cancer or diabetes, insurers may increase premiums or even refuse life insurance cover. Insurers seek this granular genetic data on the basis that it is a more reliable predictor of future risk than broad assumptions about an individual based on their lifestyle choices. However, this ‘differential treatment of asymptomatic
individuals or their relatives on the basis of their actual or presumed genetic
characteristics’ effectively amounts to genetic discrimination.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 25-27 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | The Bulletin SA (Law Society of South Australia) |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - 3 Nov 2020 |
Keywords
- life insurance
- Ancestry
- Genetic testing
- genetic data