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Life insurance for kidney donors: another update
1University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. aaron_spital@urmc.rochester.edu.
Transplantation
|October 24, 2002
Summary
Most life insurance companies still offer standard rates to healthy kidney donors. However, some donors may face challenges, and transplant centers should assist them in securing life insurance policies.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Transplant Surgery
- Insurance Medicine
Background:
- Previous research indicated healthy kidney donors could secure life insurance at standard rates.
- Recent observations suggest some kidney donors encounter difficulties obtaining life insurance.
- This discrepancy necessitates a re-evaluation of life insurance practices for living kidney donors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess current life insurance industry perspectives on living kidney donors.
- To understand how U.S. life insurance companies evaluate and underwrite kidney donors.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to medical directors of 70 U.S. life insurance companies in winter 2001.
- The survey included the 20 largest insurance companies by assets.
- Response rate from participating companies was 54% (38 out of 70).
Main Results:
- All 38 participating companies stated they would offer life insurance to healthy kidney donors.
- Only one company anticipated a potential premium increase for kidney donors.
- A majority of companies did not perceive kidney donation as increasing long-term health risks.
Conclusions:
- The majority of life insurance companies continue to offer standard rates to healthy kidney donors.
- Isolated instances of difficulty in obtaining life insurance for kidney donors persist.
- Transplant centers should be prepared to support kidney donors facing insurance application issues.