DNA Scan Could Save Policyholders on Health Insurance

Senior executives at Norwich Union Healthcare have announced that taking genetic tests to gauge potential health risks could cut the cost of health insurance for policyholders - even if the test results are not disclosed to insurance companies.

Gil Baldwin, managing director of the insurance company, explained the logic behind the initiative, saying that an individual's willingness to take a personal DNA scan demonstrates - and encourages - a healthier lifestyle, and should therefore be rewarded with lower health insurance premiums.

In an interview with The Times, Mr. Baldwin said that those who undergo genetic screening are likely to act on the results and are therefore considered lower risks for insurance companies.

However, the role of genetics in insurance has proven to be a controversial issue, with increasingly reliable tests to reveal DNA mutations and variants linked with disease. Developments have thus prompted fears of discrimination and the creation of what has been called a "genetic underclass" who cannot buy insurance cover.

Yet Mr Baldwin addressed concerns with the assurance that test results would not have to be disclosed to insurance companies. He said:

"The thing about genetic screening is, I'm not interested in knowing what your results are…I'm interested that you are interested in going for a screen, because only a madman would get information saying you're at risk of a heart attack and do nothing with that information."

"The benefit to the insurer is in engaging people around the risks they have, and then devising programmes to help them manage those risks. This isn't a matter of knowing more about you so we can calculate your personal risk and charge you appropriate premium."

He added: "We wouldn't necessarily need to see the genetic sequence…that could be held elsewhere with the right confidentiality, so you couldn't use it for accurate underwriting."