Life insurance after malignant disease

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Underwriting
• Insurance Medicine

Background:

• Patients with a history of malignancy face challenges in obtaining life insurance.
• Understanding insurance industry attitudes towards cancer survivors is crucial for patient guidance.
• Varying underwriting criteria can create uncertainty for individuals with a past cancer diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the attitudes of life insurance companies towards underwriting patients with a history of non-skin cancer.
• To identify common criteria and considerations for insuring individuals with a malignancy history.
• To explore the impact of disease recurrence and treatment complications on insurability.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was distributed to 45 life insurance companies.
• Data collected focused on underwriting practices for patients with a history of malignancy (excluding skin carcinoma).
• Analysis included criteria for acceptance, policy provisions, and views on adjuvant treatment.

Main Results:

• All surveyed companies indicated willingness to underwrite patients with a history of malignancy.
• Insurability was contingent upon the absence of persistent or recurrent disease and severe treatment complications at the time of application.
• Underwriting criteria, policy specifics, and philosophies on adjuvant therapy demonstrated variability among companies.

Conclusions:

• Life insurance is accessible for patients with a history of malignancy, provided they are disease-free at the time of application.
• The concept of excess mortality is a key factor in premium calculation for these individuals.
• Physicians have associated legal and ethical responsibilities when completing insurance applications for patients with a cancer history.