Overview
Insurance companies routinely use an individual's medical history and family medical history in determining eligibility for life insurance; this is part of the process of medical underwriting. Insurers have also long used genetic information, often derived from family history in underwriting. But rapid advances in gene identification and genetic testing are changing the way we look at genetic information. Should the results of genetic testing (which might identify a predisposition toward disease not related to medical history) be available to life insurance medical underwriters? Few if any life insurers currently require genetic testing, but there are no laws or regulations prohibiting its use. Genetics and Life Insurance examines the complex economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of genetic information in life insurance underwriting. The contributors are legal scholars, representatives of the life insurance industry (including an actuary and an insurance physician), a geneticist, a genetic counsellor, a philosopher and a consumer advocate. They explore all aspects of an issue that has only recently drawn the attention of policymakers and the public.
Full Product Details
Author: Mark A. Rothstein (Institute of Bioethics) ,
Arthur L. Caplan (Director, NYU Langone Medical Center)
Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
Imprint: MIT Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.40cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.567kg
ISBN: 9780262182362
ISBN 10: 026218236
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 09 April 2004
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: No Longer Our Product
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
This book is a handy and informative reference for anyone who is considering the issues related to genetic discrimination in life insurance -- The New England Journal of Medicine With the help of an exceptional collection of contributors, Mark Rothstein has illuminated one of the darkest corners of genetic discrimination--in life insurance. With his usual combination of superb scholarship, wisdom, and common sense, Rothstein shows us where we are and what paths are open for sensible policies in the future. --Thomas H. Murray, President, The Hastings Center This impressive volume, boasting contributions from a variety of perspectives, offers a detailed account of the current and potential uses of genetic information by life insurers. It should be the starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about this important and intriguing topic. --Mark A. Hall, Fred D. and Elizabeth L. Turnage Professor of Law and Public Health, Wake Forest University Genetics and Life Insurance addresses for the first time the relationship between genetics and an enormous industry. Professionals in the life insurance field will turn to this book as an authoritative discussion of the relevant viewpoints and issues. A strength of the book is the diversity of perspectives held by the authors of the various chapters. --Peter P. Swire, Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University This book addresses a topic of great social relevance and succeeds in its intent of offering a balanced perspective on the current debate. --Elettra Ronchi, Coordinator of Biotechnology and Health Activities, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Author Information
Mark A. Rothstein is Herbert F. Boehl Chair of Law and Medicine and Director of the Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy, and Law in the School of Medicine at the University of Louisville.
