Genetics & insurance

[Mrspotter12]

If you know you have a gene that might cause health problems (ie breast cancer & the braca) gene) could you be refused insurance?

Yes - or your premiums could be sky high. When I was employed my employer provide life insurance (10x salary) and critical health insurance. Because I had high cholestrol, controlled by statins so at or below normal, the premiums were about double everyone else and I had to have an annual health check

I actually hadn't thought of this!

I have a friend who is a genetic counsellor. She wouldn’t touch Ancestry.com or any of the other American-owned DNA analysis companies because she believes that they probably sell on the genetic information to insurance companies which may impact our children’s abilities to get insurance in the future. (Very tin foil hat, I know, but it’s put me off being tested for now as well!)

If you’ve only had a predictive test, but do not have symptoms or a diagnosis, the test result doesn’t need to be disclosed to insurers (they shouldn’t ask for it). Only exceptions are for very high value policies or for Huntington’s disease.

BUT any family history of a disease insurers CAN ask about, and you must answer honestly for your policy to be valid.

Check out www.geneticalliance.org.uk and look up Information then Insurance.

Confirmed BRCA2 carrier here. Ten years now.

There is a current moratorium on genetic testing, meaning you don't have to disclose your genetic status when applying for insurance. So you can't be refused coverage on genetic grounds - it is only in place until 2019 but has been renewed more than once, I think.
www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/choosing-the-right-insurance/health-insurance/genetics-and-insurance/

They do however ask for family history, so your premiums might be higher, depending on how strong your family history is. (I have 2 first degree, and 3 second degree relatives with BC a but have got life, medical and PHI with no problems and manageable premiums - I don't have a personal history of cancer myself).

justilou1 I agree with your friend. DNA contains (almost) everything we are and could be, and I find it totally bizarre how easily we'll give that away. There's so, so, so much we don't know about our genome that might be understood in the future, and there will be value in that to someone.

But I'm also fully aware there some tin-hatting on my head too

My dh cannot get life insurance because his mum has huntingtons disease you do not have to disclose this. however you do have to declare family history so it's catch 22, the premiums we have been offered for life insurance are so expensive we can't afford to pay them. It's ridiculous!

Thanks everyone- I want the braca2 test for my daughters and I but mum pointed this thought out to me yesterday and it made me think. I might postpone the tests until after 2019!

It’s crazy that people are not getting tested as this puts them off!