Life Insurances usually require you to be tested for HIV when you apply for cover. I received from the Life Offices' Association of South Africa some information about your rights and common questions surrounding these tests.
What are my rights?
Your rights are
- Not to be tested for the AIDS virus without your free and informed consent.
- To ge given all material information on the harms, risks and benefits of taking, or not taking, the AIDS test.
- To refuse to take the test. If you do this, your application for insurance will be denied.
- To receive pre-test counselling upon request which is private and confidential, and which will inform you more about the test and its implications before you consent to the test. Should you in any way be unfamiliar with the issues involved, you are strongly advised to seek pre-test counselling. You are also within your rights to waive the personal pre-test counselling.
- To have your test result treated confidentially. The result will be made available to your doctor only with your prior consent. The Life Offices' Association will also store a test result on their registry. You have the right to access this information to check that it is correct.
- To one session of post-test counselling, if the test is positive, at the expense of Discovery Life.
Why do Life Insurance Companies Test for the AIDS Virus?
Underwriting is the basis of assurance to ensure that each applicant pays a premium appropriate to the risk. This insurance company requires information from the applicant to help it assess the risk of granting the insurance and to establish an appropriate premium. Insurance companies screen applicants for serious deseases or habits that may affect their state of health. This may be done through questionnaires, medical examinations and other tests including a test for the HIV Aids virus.
Is the Test always correct? Can there be Mistakes?
Even though the tests are very accurate, and are performed by registered laboratories they must be regarded as screening tests only and not diagnostic. If your test result shows that you may be infected with the AIDS virus, you can have this confirmed by having further tests done.
As with any biological test, a false positive result may occur in a small number of cases, i. e. the test shows positive when the person is not infected with the virus. This is not the fault of the laboratory or the insurance company, but the true HIV status of the person can be ascertained by doing further tests. The insurance companies and laboratories follow a strict protocol to eliminate potential mistakes. In order to minimise false positive results, three different tests are performed.
What does it mean if the Test is Negative?
If your test result is negative, it means that you are not currently infected, but it does not mean theat you may not become infected in the future. There is a period of about six weeks after the infection before an HIV test will be positive.
Your risk of becoming infected is increased if you have more than one sexual partner or if you engage in unprotected sex. It is also important to get prompt treatment for other sexually transmitted diseases, e. g. syphilis or gonorrhoea that make you more susceptible to the AIDS virus.
What does it mean if the Test is Positive?
If your test is positive, it means that you may be infected with the AIDS virus and your application for insurance will be declined. All existing cover will remain valid unless periodical testing for the AIDS virus is required. Some insurance policies may have an AIDS exclusion clause. This means that if you develop any AIDS related illness, a claim will not be paid.
Existing policies that do not have an AIDS exclusion clause will not be invalidated as a result of the test results being positive. The implications of a positive test should be discussed with your doctor. If it is shown that there was a false positive result, the company will reconsider a further application for insurance.
Notification of Test Results
If your test result is negative
Cover will be granted if all other requirements have been met.
If you test result is positive
A trained person should discuss the information with you so that you can understand clearly what the test results means.
Consequently it is of the utmost importance that you think carefully about the person who should receive the results.
You will be advised to contact this doctor. Please note that if you receive a letter to contact the nominated doctor, this does not automatically mean that the AIDS result is positive, as many other medical impairments may lead to the refusal of the insurance application. The doctor will be fully informed and will inform you accordingly.
For any further assistance on this matter, call the AIDS HELP LINE: 0800 012 322.
(Based on "LOA HIV Testing Information Sheet" of the Life Offices' Association of South Africa)
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