California May Restrict Use of HIV Status in Life and Disability Underwriting

[theleadingagent]

So you clearly don't understand how insurance risk works.

HIV risk pools are RADICALLY different than diabetes risk pools.

I can't believe you said there "isn't much difference between the two". Controlled or not, the mortality of these groups is not comparable in the least.

Insurers take on folks with diabetes, marijuana or vape use because when they assess the mortality of those risks, they can predicatively charge an appropriate amount for the insurer to make a profit.

Now life insurance with HIV is possible (with underwriting), so it's not as if it can't be done. Granted, it's costly but that's because the risk of this group is very high so they must charge more to cover that high risk.

The difference is the free market determined on it's own if and how to offer life insurance to folks with HIV.

The government mandating that insurers can't "discriminate" against folks with HIV will simply result in the HIV risk pool being bundled in with all other risks (since insurers won't know who does and doesn't have HIV). That means everyone else will pay more because the HIV risk must be included when they price their products.

Lastly, HIV is 99.999% preventable (the cases of blood transfusion infection are incredibly rare relative to the overall infection cause).

All you have to do is not have intravenous drug use or have unprotected gay sex. If you can't abide by those two principals and you get HIV, you deserve the consequences. One of which is either being unable to get life insurance or having to pay a lot of money to get it.

#1 HIV vs Diabetes is not that different; You either take meds/change your lifestyle or you die! Period.

Having Diabetes will get you auto declined from a lot of companies regardless of how controlled it is.

#2 Diabetes is also preventable (the risk can be lowered) but that doesn't stop poor and/or uneducated people from loading up on sugars, fats, processed food; getting obese; chain smoking; and drinking excessive liquor

#3 This is the most ignorant comment I've ever heard on this forum to date....

 

[theleadingagent]

Do you not understand statistics? Your anecdotal example is true, but it represents an incredibly small single digit percentage point when looking at the aggregate.

Again, 99% of the time it's due to sharing needles or gay sex. HIV is entirely preventable accept for the rare circumstance where someone gets it via a blood transfusion which is obviously no fault of their own.

The hypocrisy of this comment ....

Posting random stats with no valid sources while complaining people don't understand statistics

 

[suranceman]

#1 HIV vs Diabetes is not that different; You either take meds/change your lifestyle or you die! Period.

Having Diabetes will get you auto declined from a lot of companies regardless of how controlled it is.

#2 Diabetes is also preventable (the risk can be lowered) but that doesn't stop poor and/or uneducated people from loading up on sugars, fats, processed food; getting obese; chain smoking; and drinking excessive liquor

#3 This is the most ignorant comment I've ever heard on this forum to date....

How is it ignorant?

Also, that stats are easily found and always the same. HIV is almost exclusively a gay issue and/or needle use.

 

[Tahoe Ray]

How is it ignorant?

Also, that stats are easily found and always the same. HIV is almost exclusively a gay issue and/or needle use.

I'm not going to go so far as HIV is the same as diabetes but your numbers are off as well...this is from the CDC.

 

[theleadingagent]

How is it ignorant?

Also, that stats are easily found and always the same. HIV is almost exclusively a gay issue and/or needle use.

Because your 99% is some number you came up with yourself

And you’re implying that if you’re not gay (or iv drug user) you can’t get HIV

 

[suranceman]

Because your 99% is some number you came up with yourself

And you’re implying that if you’re not gay (or iv drug user) you can’t get HIV

The numbers aren't made up. HIV infections are always in the high 90's caused by gay sex and/or needle use. See Ray's post above. Those stats he posted show 90%.

And I'm not implying anything. I'll repeat again, HIV is almost entirely a gay and/or needle use issue.

Yes people outside of those two circumstances can and do get HIV, but it's very very rare compared to those two groups I mentioned.

 

[theleadingagent]

Where did you get 99%?

Don’t need you repeating. I read your opinion the first time.

According to Tahoe’s stats from CDC of reported cases

A total of 37,700 people diagnosed with HIV at the time of this report in 2018. Of that total 8,929 of those cases were heterosexuals which is 24%

I don’t know what your definition of “rare” is but that’s not rare it’s simply a minority