The Council of Australian Life Insurers (CALI) has said that it welcomes a Federal Government ban on the use of genetic test results in insurance underwriting.
In a statement, CALI said that the industry fully supports the move to strict regulation, which will help ensure Australians are confident about accessing the information they need to better manage their health.
The ban was announced after more than a year of collaboration between Australia’s life insurers, the Federal Government, and other stakeholders.
CALI CEO Ms Christine Cupitt joined Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones for the announcement in Canberra on 11 September. She said, “We’ve long been clear about the need for strict regulation to ensure that no one is deterred from taking a genetic test to proactively manage their health.”
The industry also welcomes the inclusion of a five-year review, which will be essential to ensure the law keeps up to date with the ever-evolving genetic testing landscape.
CALI said that all its 20 members recognise that genetic testing can play an important role in giving people peace of mind and supporting them in reducing potential health risks. Its statement reads, “Australia’s life insurers have never, and would never, require someone to take a genetic test for the purposes of underwriting. Any suggestion otherwise is simply incorrect.”
In 2019, the industry issued an industry standard to control the use of genetic tests by life insurers.