Critical illness insurance could be affected by gene testing

Critical illness insurance could be affected by gene testing News 2009

Concerns have been raised that people who decide to take genetic tests to spot potential critical illnesses could be prevented from being able to obtain life insurance in the future, it has been reported.

The House of Lords science and technology committee has issued a report warning that insurance companies could use such tests to put in place expensive premiums or deny people cover altogether.

Insurance firms are prevented from using such information or asking customers whether they have taken such tests but the voluntary moratorium that is standing in their way expires in 2012, reports the Daily Mail.

Speaking to the influential committee, Helen Wallace of GeneWatch UK said that some women are worried about the future insurance implications of undergoing such tests.

There are women deciding whether to take the test now who do not know if they buy insurance later on, whether at that point the moratorium will have ended and there will be a requirement from the insurance industry to see the results," she said.

So you have a specific circumstance where a medical decision that you take may be influenced by knowing whether or not the insurance industry will have access.

The committee recently called for tighter regulations on the gene testing industry.

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