The Irish Cancer Society has described as “very strange” Insurance Ireland’s efforts to delay proposed new legislation preventing cancer survivors from being penalised by insurance companies and banks.
The reported today that the Government has stalled a bill proposed by senators that would mean no person would have to disclose a cancer diagnosis to a financial institution once they have not had active treatment in five years.
The issue concerns Right to be Forgotten legislation and relates to a new EU consumer credit directive agreed last month.
Both that and the Seanad bill would require the disregarding of a cancer survivor’s medical history after a period of time when loans or insurance plans were being issued.
The insurance industry has been lobbying against blanket Right to be Forgotten provisions at European level and Insurance Ireland previously warned the Government in 2020 and 2021 that such legislation would “undermine insurance offerings, since the true risk of underwriting would be unknown”, the reported.
In a statement to the paper, Insurance Ireland said there was a “perception” that cancer survivors are routinely declined cover but said this was untrue.
“This is not the case, with the majority of life assurance applications where a cancer diagnosis is disclosed being accepted at either standard rates or with an additional premium, depending on the condition of the individual,” a spokesperson said.
In a thread on Twitter this morning, Irish Cancer Society director of advocacy Rachel Murrogh pushed back on the claim that it’s merely a “perception” that cancer survivors are penalised when trying to access such services.
Over the course of 2021 & 2022 the insurance industry has been lobbying against legislation that would end discriminatory penalties levied against cancer survivors (5 yrs post treatment) for financial products. pic.twitter.com/F6JLOiphwi
— Rachel Morrogh (@RachelMorrogh) February 5, 2023
“The Irish Cancer Society hears regularly from cancer survivors who are unable to access insurance & financial products, despite the industry saying it’s a ‘perception’,” she said.
“Industry should not decide what laws do and don’t progress. The Bill should have gone to Committee Stage so all perspectives could be heard.”
Fianna Fáil Senator Catherine Ardagh, who co-proposed the bill, said it’s a mechanism whereby cancer survivors would have fairer access to financial products.
“Cancer survivors go through more than most of us can imagine,” she said.
“They are warriors. The Right to be Forgotten is something legislators should embrace wholeheartedly. I was extremely disappointed colleagues failed to do so in December. I look forward to them doing so very soon.”
