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From: bob@ozdaltx.UUCP (Bob Culmer)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids,soc.motss
Subject: Re: HIV Vaccine Causes Faulty Infection Diagnosis.
Summary: Insurance co probably being consistent this time
Message-ID: <1991Feb25.022622.28240@cs.ucla.edu>
Date: 23 Feb 91 19:45:52 GMT
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In article <1991Feb22.172133.18671@cs.ucla.edu>, dgreen@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (Dan R. Greening) writes:
> 
> If the insurance company is to be
> believed, they do not insure anyone that they know is involved in any 
> experimental drug/vaccine study.  The insurance company told him that he
> would be able to obtain insurance after the conclusion of the study, 
> however.  I don't know that this is necessarily a gay-male discrimination
> thing, though that may be my naivete showing.

I have worked in the area of employee benefits for nearly 20 years and
in that time known a lot of insurance people, policies and the
reasoning behind them. 

This time, they are probably being consistent and accurate.  There are
actuarily unknown risks associated with being in any experimental
study - if they were known it wouldn't be experimental, eh?  And of
course the insurance company only makes its money by playing the
"house" in a "gambling game" where the "odds" (actuarial rates of
disease, disability, death) are known.

There are two things I would be concerned about, though.  After the
study is over, presumably a lesser though similar unknown risk profile
exists, how will this be addressed?  What information will the
insurance company want (and can it be had? is it a reasonable/feasible
or even "doable" request?) to insure him?  This would certainly be
true of any experimental study - especially one involving a vaccine,
more especially one for a disease with a long "latency" or
"incubation" period (whichever is the more correct).

And the second is what I believe you mentioned, they will likely
presume he is gay from being in the study -  and they are a
conservative lot by and large.  This last could make them be a little
more concerned about the first "concern".  (I do so love to turn a
twisted phrase.)

But to the 
-- 
Bob Culmer - Dallas        | Oh I could tell you why
Somewhere over the rainbow | the ocean's near the shore...
...in the Land of OZ       | If I only had a brain.
            {mic,void,egsner}!ozdaltx!bob