UK Moratorium on Use of Genetic Tests by Insurers Extended

The UK Government and Association of British Insurers (ABI) have agreed to extend their voluntary moratorium on the use of predictive genetic test results by insurers by another two years, to 2019.

Originally established in 2001 and periodically reviewed and renewed ever since, the Concordat and Moratorium on Genetics and Insurance is a voluntary agreement intended to protect the interests of both individuals (by ensuring appropriate access to insurance) and of insurers (by ensuring access to information about risks).

Once again, there has been no significant change to the substance of the agreement; individuals must only disclose genetic test results to insurers in the case of Huntington’s disease tests and for life insurance policies worth in excess of £500,000. It is worth noting that anyone undertaking a genetic test for Huntington’s disease almost certainly does so in the face of a family history of the condition, which must be disclosed to insurers anyway.

However, the concordat contains two new elements. An additional Annex 2 explains the important distinction between predictive and diagnostic genetic tests. Predictive or presymptomatic...