Should genetic information be disclosed to insurers?
Should genetic information be disclosed to insurers?
Survey: Should genetic information be disclosed to insurers?
UK insurers have said that they might seek approval to use the results of genetic tests for cancer from next year. Søren Holm believes that they should have to pass the results on to insurance companies, but Richard Ashcroft argues that the risks of disclosure justify privacy in most cases.
The final result, with 94 respondents, was:
|
Yes |
12% |
|
No |
88% |
Why people voted the way they did:
“Most insurance issues are a consequence of lifestyle choice; people can influence their risk at some point. This does not apply in the case of genetic problems.”
“None of the arguments counteract the proposition that genetic information is not special, in comparison to other health information/predictors. The main effort of patient groups etc should be on ensuring actuarial fairness from the insurance industry, whatever measures they use in risk categorisation.”
“Insurance premiums should be based on overall risk of disease in the population, that way everone shares risk and costs we are all carrying genes for some disease.”
Who were our respondents (top six categories)?
|
Medically qualified doctors |
45% |
|
Medical student |
13% |
|
Other healthcare professional or student |
11% |
|
Academic researcher |
11% |
|
Member of the public |
7% |
|
Other |
7% |
Which countries were our respondents from (top five)?
|
United Kingdom |
51% |
|
United States |
10% |
|
Canada |
4% |
|
Germany |
4% |
|
Australia |
3% |
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