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Life Insurance Discrimination
Summary of Policy and Recommendations
- ADL has documented more than a dozen national life insurance companies that have denied applications for life insurance coverage to people who have recently traveled, or indicated they have plans to travel, to Israel or other countries for which a State Department travel advisory has been issued. This practice is both discriminatory and illogical.
- We support legislation to ensure that future travelers to Israel, or other countries on the State Department’s travel warning list, are not denied life insurance based on possible future travel plans or past travel to these countries.
Background
ADL has documented more than a dozen national life insurance companies that have denied applications for life insurance coverage to people who have recently traveled, or indicated they have plans to travel, to Israel or other countries for which a State Department travel advisory has been issued. This practice is both discriminatory and illogical. The insurers are not making actual substantiated risk assessments but rather are relying on unspecific cautionary warnings from the State Department to deny coverage to anyone traveling anywhere within that country. This unwarranted denial of coverage affects families, businesses partners, volunteers and aid workers. Recognizing this fact, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners recently adopted new guidelines designed to limit an insurer’s ability to refuse life insurance because of lawful past travel or, under specific circumstances, lawful future travel. Creating obstacles to travel to Israel negatively affects Christians, Muslims and Jews who wish to travel to Israel, a land that holds special meaning for all three religions. We support legislation to ensure that future travelers to Israel, or other countries on the State Department’s travel warning list, are not denied life insurance based on possible future travel plans or past travel to these countries.
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