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Your search for Annual General Insurance Overview Statistics 2014 resulted in 19 hits
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FAQ
Why might an insurer ask for my consent to view my medical record, and what can the insurance company ask my GP?
The majority of life, critical illness and income protection insurance is based upon the information obtained on the application form, without any referral to GPs. In some cases, insurance companies may seek your consent to obtain a medical report from your GP as part of your application. In these circumstances, the insurer needs certain information from your GP to assess your application properly so that they make an informed decision regarding accepting or declining the application and charging the correct premium.
In applications for life insurance, the insurer is only interested in the diagnosis, treatment, severity and prognosis of a condition that could reduce your life expectancy. For critical illness insurance, the insurer is generally only interested in information about any of the conditions covered, and other health factors that affect the likelihood of you developing the conditions covered. For income protection insurance, the insurer is concerned with medical conditions that cause long-term absence from work.
Your GP will be told not to include any predictive genetic test results in their report to the insurer. If it is included, it will be ignored by the insurer.
Your insurer will not ask your GP about your participation in research projects.
Your insurer may ask your GP about the medical history of your first degree relatives. However, this information will only include what you have disclosed to your GP as part of your own medical records, and will only be in relation to a specific set of conditions.
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FAQ
Can I view my medical report before it is sent to the insurance company?
Yes, you have a right to request to view your medical report before it is sent to the insurance company. Under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988, you also have a right to:
- amend the report if it is factually incorrect or contains information that is not relevant to your application (including the results of predictive genetic tests);
- tell the GP not to send the report to the insurer (which may affect your application); and,
- view the report up to 6 months after it has been sent to the insurer.
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FAQ
If my relative is referred for predictive genetic testing as a result of scientific research that I participate in, do they need to disclose this test when they apply for insurance?
Yes, but only in the limited circumstances as set out in the Code (applying for life insurance over £500,000). If, as a result of genetic testing through scientific research, a relative who is not part of the research project is referred for genetic testing (called cascade testing), that relative’s genetic test result would not fall under the exemption of scientific research and they may need to disclose the result, if they apply for insurance. However, if your relative was referred for predictive genetic testing as part of a research study, they will not be asked by insurers to disclose any predictive genetic test result acquired.
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FAQ
When applying for insurance, will I have to tell an insurer about additional screening or treatment I receive as part of my routine care, as a result of a genetic test taken through research that indicated an increased risk of ill-health?
Yes, if this information is requested on the application form. The application form will typically ask you for information relating to any screening or preventative treatments (including risk reduction surgery) you have received. These questions must be answered honestly and accurately, even if these relate to a condition or predisposition that is discovered through a research project.
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FAQ
When I apply for insurance do I have to offer any additional information that is not requested on the form?
No. However, you must answer all questions on the application form honestly and accurately. Regarding the health details of relatives, you only need to disclose what has been requested and that you know about. If you are unsure about your family history of a specific condition, you do not need to seek out this information.
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FAQ
Will this mean that I pay higher premiums or mean I am refused cover?
It is unlikely that disclosures about additional screening or preventative treatments alone will result in increased premiums or refusal of cover. However, it may alert the insurer to closely examine your personal medical and family history in order to be able to fully assess your application. Some insurers may also ask additional questions beyond those on the application form to gain as much detail as possible.
Any additional screening or preventative treatment that you undergo which is known to reduce the risk of a particular condition will be taken into account by the insurer in assessing your application and setting your premiums, which could result in a better outcome for you.
The insurer is obliged to justify any increased premiums or refusal of cover by demonstrating that there is an increased risk of you making a claim based on the facts collected at application.Insurance companies must provide you, if asked, with written reasons for:
- any extra premiums they charge;
- reducing the insurance cover that is provided;
- refusing an insurance application;
- rejecting a claim; or
- cancelling a policy.
If you have been diagnosed with a genetic condition or you have a family history of a particular condition, all of these factors may already affect any insurance applications you make. In this context, any additional screening or testing you receive because of a genetic finding may not have any (further) negative impact and could even be used by insurers to reduce any surcharge you would otherwise pay.
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FAQ
I have been diagnosed with a condition, and through a research study I received a genetic finding which is relevant to my diagnosis. Do I need to tell insurers about the genetic result when disclosing my diagnosis as part of the application process?
No. You only need to answer the questions in the application form. If the form asks you if you have suffered from a specific medical condition, then you need to disclose this regardless of whether there is any genetic component or not. However, you do not need to disclose the genetic test result even though this may be associated with your diagnosis.
For example, if you had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer, and through a research study you discover you have a mutation in the BRCA1/2 genes, you do not need to mention the genetic test result when disclosing your previous diagnosis.
Even if you do (unintentionally) disclose this information to an insurer, the genetic test result would be disregarded by insurance companies and your application would be assessed as if this had not been disclosed. The insurer will not use it to refuse you insurance, charge you a higher premium, or impose conditions on your insurance.
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FAQ
Can I disclose a genetic test result that shows I have not inherited a risk identified in my family?
Yes. If you have a predictive genetic test that is in your favour, you can choose to tell the insurance company as this might help your application. An example is if you have had a test which shows that you haven’t inherited a condition that runs in your family. Individual insurance companies are required to publish information and make it very clear about the way they will use such test results to inform their underwriting decisions. The vast majority of insurers will take into account the results of a voluntarily disclosed genetic test result, provided it is from a reputable source. This often allows them to make a more accurate decision with a better outcome for the applicant.
When filling in an application form, it should usually be clear where you can tell an insurer about a genetic test that shows you have not inherited a risk identified in your family – this may just be a section for extra notes. If it is not clear, insurers will offer the ability ring and speak to an underwriter on the phone, so you can tell them about this information.
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FAQ
What route does an insurer use to access my medical records?
When applying for insurance, should an insurer require further information, the applicant will typically be asked to complete a form that provides their consent for the insurer to obtain relevant medical information from their GP. This is performed in accordance with the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 (AMRA), which determines how insurers, and other third parties, should request medical information from GPs and must include the explicit consent of the applicant.
AMRA is applicable to Wales, Scotland and England. In Northern Ireland, a request is made under the Access to Personal Files and Medical Reports (Northern Ireland) Order 1991. These two acts give insurers the correct legal route to obtain medical information. More information can be found here.