The ABI and Genetics Working Group has compiled a report, ‘How the world treats genetic risk’ - an international comparison of policy frameworks for the treatment of genetic testing in the underwriting of insurance.
After the publication of the Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance in 2018, the Genetics Working Group and members of the Protection and Health Committees agreed that the ABI should use its genetics work in 2019 to focus on improving our collective understanding of the changes in the environment. This followed the acknowledgement that we needed to consider the longer term challenges and, in order to do so, should stimulate wider debate across the industry. This would help better equip ourselves with insights into what changes are taking place in healthcare, in respect to genetic testing, and what public and political views regarding insurance implications are.
This comparison aims to take a look at how markets across the globe treat genetic testing in insurance and, crucially, what changes have taken place recently, what changes might be likely and what is driving any change. We have long assumed that the UK model of self-regulation is one that is revered more widely as a balanced approach to providing consumer confidence to an area that is still relatively immature in its real world application. This analysis aims to provide a useful overview of current arrangements and insight into key trends of change. The hope is that this can help inform our discussions and scenario planning as we attempt to take a look at the longer term policy environment.