Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!ucsd!ucbvax!ucdavis!sunny!poage
From: poage@sunny.ucdavis.edu (Tom Poage)
Newsgroups: comp.org.ieee
Subject: Re: Life insurance
Message-ID: <494@sunny.ucdavis.edu>
Date: 10 Oct 90 17:12:28 GMT
References: <1990Oct3.190311.23514@ns.network.com> <1990Oct4.052527.7670@news.clarkson.edu> <1990Oct8.022212.1265@dhw68k.cts.com> <1990Oct9.195639.12636@twinsun.com>
Reply-To: poage@sunny.ucdavis.edu (Tom Poage)
Organization: UCDMC Clinical Engineering, Sacto., CA
Lines: 48

In article <1990Oct9.195639.12636@twinsun.com> eggert@twinsun.com (Paul Eggert) writes:

>That's not the half of it.  I applied for IEEE-sponsored disability insurance,
>and discovered that they didn't want the _results_ of a blood test; they wanted
>my _blood_.

Probably the efficiency of wholesale homogeneity.  That way they don't
have to think. :-)  They do want the *results* of the blood test--from
the lab they commissioned to do the testing.  Besides, a lot of blood
tests aren't as comprehensive as they'd like.

>             Not only did they want to invade my privacy, they didn't tell me
>what they were testing for, and they didn't say whether they were going to tell
>me the test results.

At least in California, you sign a release indicating that the blood is
to be tested for HIV antibodies.  You also indicate the name of a
physician that the results are to be reported to, if positive.

If this company, or any other for that matter, insures someone with a
100% fatal disease, your rates skyrocket, and they don't make a
profit. :-\

>                      They could even store my blood and not bother to test it
>until much later, after I file a claim.

Though I don't know for sure, I'd say that if they choose to insure you
without testing your blood, but saving it for later, that's their
problem if you or your survivors have a claim.  They insured you based
on their knowledge of your health at the time the policy was put into
effect.  I think that no court (or existing law?) will allow them to
collect your money for an insurance policy and then back out with an a
posteriori blood test result, unless they falsify the blood test date.
Of course, I'm assuming that you didn't lie to them when filling out
the health questionnaire in the application.

My personal experience is that this testing is a pain in the butt.  I
had to find a local lab and wait forever to be seen.  The blood, etc.
never got to Indiana (or wherever the lab was).  Because of some law,
they had to refund my deposit after a certain amount of time elapsed.
Now, they're sending a paramedic to my home to do it all over again and
I'll have to send another deposit ....  Good rates, though. :-|

Whew, glad I got that outta my system.  Tom.
-- 
Tom Poage, Clinical Engineering
Universiy of California, Davis, Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
poage@sunny.ucdavis.edu  {...,ucbvax,uunet}!ucdavis!sunny!poage