Does Genetic Testing Affect Life Insurance?

What Exactly Is Genetic Testing?

Mayo Clinic explains genetic testing to involve “examining your DNA, the chemical database that carries instructions for your body's functions.” This type of testing “can reveal changes or alterations in your genes that may cause illness or disease,” and “provide important information for diagnosing, treating, and preventing illness.”

There are many different types of genetic testing, from diagnostic and predictive testing to prenatal testing, newborn screening, and preimplantation testing. With cancer being the most prevalent and challenging disease in today’s society, many people are seeking genetic testing specifically for cancer. According to Cancer.net, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommends considering genetic testing for cancer if:

• You have a personal or family history that suggests a genetic cause of cancer
• The test can clearly show a specific genetic change
• Results can help with diagnosis or management of the genetic condition or cancer(s).

Genetic Testing And Life Insurance: “Do We Know Each Other?”

Genetic testing and life insurance meet at the realization of mortality and subsequently go in dramatically different directions. For most of us, the idea of knowing how we might die is probably pretty unsettling. While genetic testing, like most forms of medicine, revolves around avoiding death, life insurance is focused on planning for death. Again, this whole conversation is uncomfortable, we know. But it’s a part of taking care of your family.

The key question and controversy surrounding genetic testing is whether life insurance companies can use the information to your disadvantage. It makes perfect sense: if they know you have a gene that raises your risk of cancer, they will either up your rates accordingly to mitigate their risk or deny you from receiving coverage altogether. Remember, to insurance companies, protecting you is still a business at the end of the day. They don’t hand out free money, and they don’t assume high levels of risk without creating a buffer for themselves.

The Story That Started The Debate

A February 2016 article published by Fast Company told the story of a woman in her mid-30s—typically a favorable age for buying life insurance—with no medical conditions, who was denied coverage specifically because of her positive BRCA 1 mutation (associated with breast and ovarian cancer).

While the woman was able to take steps to lessen her risk of cancer, she was unable to secure life insurance to protect her family—a Catch 22.

“I’m glad I’m being more proactive to reduce my cancer risk. But I also want my family to have some security if the worst happened,” she said.

The loophole for the insurance company was that the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, passed in 2008 to prohibit health insurers from denying coverage based on gene mutations, does not apply to life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance. Life insurance agents will not be surprised to hear this. After all, the stark reality is that life insurance is the only industry in America that not only allows, but revolves around, genetic discrimination.

Will Life Insurance Companies Ask About Genetic Testing?

So, we’ve established that it’s possible and passable for life insurers to take genetic testing into account when determining rates and approvals. But what if you don’t offer that information? Can they ask? The New York Times ran an article in 2014 titled, “Fearing Punishment for Bad Genes.” Here’s an excerpt that effectively answers this question:

[At least one insurer, the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, asks potential customers in Massachusetts about genetic testing—and stipulates that refusing to share results could lead to a declined application or an extra premium. Jean Towell, a spokeswoman, says applicants are told “out of fairness” that insurers have the right to decline coverage if any medical information is omitted.

“We think it’s best to have it all spelled out in black and white so buyers can make a well-informed decision,” she said.

At least for now, 12 other companies ask no explicit questions about genetic testing. But when Dr. Green asked company executives why not, he said, “at least one of them has told me, ‘We would do this, but we don’t want to be the first.'”]

Given Dr. Green’s insight, we would not be surprised to see active lawmaking on this topic in the foreseeable future.

Will Life Insurance Companies Require Genetic Testing?

This is the question that really raises the stakes. The wild card with genetic testing has been the dramatic reduction in the cost of the procedures. Fast Company writes:

“When GINA first passed in 2008, genetic tests were expensive and not all that common. In 2011, the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs spent $100,000 to discover the genetic basis of the cancer that killed him. Today, a company called Illumina can sequence a person's whole genome for $1,000.”

They add:

“The BRCA test is now available for as little as $250, enabling many patients to pay for it out of pocket. Dozens of lab-testing companies have developed a BRCA test, including Color Genomics and Counsyl. The test even has a celebrity spokesperson in the form of Angelina Jolie…”

While lower costs for the technology behind genetic testing might benefit consumers wishing to uncover their dangers, we’d be foolish to think that insurance companies don’t have their eyes on scalability and viability in terms of potentially making genetic testing an application requirement at some point down the line.

A Parting Piece of Advice

All of the information above is to say that genetic testing can conceivably affect your ability to qualify for and afford life insurance. If you’re considering genetic testing and do not currently own a life insurance policy, we recommend securing life insurance before undergoing testing.

Young adults, in particular, often don’t realize the need for life insurance until they are much older. It might not be a pervasive thought at this point in your life, but you don’t want to hurt your ability to protect your family after you die.

If you truly want to invest in genetic testing, we’re not here to tell you that you shouldn’t. However, if it’s something you’re doing just because you read about it or because you’re curious, understand that you could put that money to better use—perhaps with life insurance.

With the cost of genetic testing still in the thousands of dollars, you could secure a term life policy, and the sum of your premiums would likely take years to approach the thousands. Why not protect your future instead of trying to predict it?

About Our Agency:

JRC Insurance Group is a nationally-licensed and owner-operated life insurance agency that represents 63 top-rated life insurance companies. Our primary goal is to provide our client’s with the expertise they need and the best customer service in the industry.

By working with dozens of “A” rated life insurance companies, we’re able to shop the market to find our client’s the best rates available, regardless of their health or lifestyle. Our agency has more than 100 years of collective experience, and we have access to each insurance company’s underwriting guidelines.

By having access to each insurance company’s unique guidelines, we’re able to match our client’s with the best life insurance options available to them.

To learn more, visit our easy guide to life insurance, or feel free to give us a call at: 855-247-9555. To estimate the cost of your coverage, you can also request a free life insurance quote below to compare rates from dozens of life insurance companies in less than a minute.