Shopping for Life Insurance? That cute colorful harmless-looking little "at-home DNA test kit" can put your privacy —and your family— at risk.
If you absolutely must know whether or not you should trade in your lederhosen for a kilt— take the time to understand how your data could be used. Know what you are signing. And discuss this with your family, first: by agreeing to share your DNA, you are agreeing to share theirs as well! Protect yourself. Protect your loved ones. Read the fine print. Think before you spit! “That tiny sample can disclose the biological building blocks of what makes you you... The data can be very enlightening personally, but a major concern for consumers should be who else could have access to information about your heritage and your health.”
“If you apply for life insurance they do have a right to get all your medical records. And if you've had a genetic test taken, they do have a right to request it... You should only submit to a DNA test if they agree to destroy the sample.”
“Consumers need to think carefully about whether they want to take these tests... It will not impact their health insurance under current law, but it could impact their life insurance.”
“The world of easily accessible genetic testing is still very new. While your DNA doesn't change, the science behind it is evolving at a rapid pace. Today, using genetic testing in the life insurance application process isn't the norm, but that doesn't mean it won't be used 5, 10, 15 or 20 years from now.” RELATED READING
What is genetic discrimination?
ghr.nlm.nih.gov
4 Risks consumers need to know about DNA testing kit results and buying life insurance
www.cnbc.com
While Insightful Into Ancestry, Genetic Testing Could Have Serious Life Insurance Consequences
consumerwatchdog.org
0 Comments
12/18/2018 0 Comments NALOXONE Rescue Kit Carriers Risk Rejection— Important! Read Before You Apply For Life Insurance
BE PREPARED. GET NALOXONE. SAVE A LIFE.
WHY YOUR LIFE INSURANCE APPLICATION MAY BE DECLINED, IF YOU BUY A NALOXONE (NARCAN®) RESCUE KIT AT YOUR PHARMACY:
There was a recent story about a nurse in Boston who paid an unexpected price for her good intentions. She acquired a naloxone rescue kit at a pharmacy and was declined when she tried to buy life insurance. Naloxone was on her list of prescribed medications because of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs. Life insurance companies check these programs as part of the underwriting process. Reportedly, the nurse —even though she does not take the drug herself and only carries it as a means to save lives— was declined by two different life insurance companies.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PROTECT YOURSELF, IF YOU WANT/NEED TO CARRY A LIFE-SAVING NALOXONE (NARCAN®) RESCUE KIT:
Make sure you inform your agent or broker that you carry a Naloxone rescue kit, BEFORE you submit an application for life insurance. Put it in writing and explain why you the carry a Naloxone rescue kit and state that it is NOT for your personal use. A written explanation ahead of time will give the underwriter a chance to say “yes” or “no”, without having to do a formal application. Being pre-emptive is not a guarantee you will be approved for life insurance, but you will avoid getting formally declined (having that decline reported to the Medical Information Bureau).
WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE YOUR DECLINE REPORTED TO THE MEDICAL INFORMATION BUREAU (MIB), WHY IT MATTERS, AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSULT WITH A KNOWLEDGABLE INDEPENDENT LIFE INSURANCE BROKER:
If you are formally declined by ‘Life Insurance Company A’, they will report that decline --and the reason for that decline— to the MIB (a coded database that all insurance companies use to report their underwriting results). If you then try to apply to ‘Insurance Company B’, ‘Company B’ will see the decline on the MIB and they will most likely also decline you (especially if you neglected to mention that you were declined by ‘Company A’).
A decline for life insurance will always follow you. It will always be on the MIB and you will always have to answer “yes” to the question “Have you ever been declined for life insurance?” on every life insurance application you fill out for the rest of your life.
*** whether you are a medical professional, a first responder, a good samaritan, a friend or family member of an opioid addiction sufferer ***
if you want/need TO CARRY A NALOXONE (Narcan®) RESCUE KIT —AS A MEANS TO SAVE A LIFE— we urge you, please, to call us BEFORE you apply for life insurance anywhere else—RELATED READING--
|
