Happy clappy time …. Post codes & genetics

[ParaHandy]

The holy grail of life insurance, pensions and employment is access to DNA. That information is as useful as a post code is to the property and vehicle insurers today. There isn't anything intrinsically wrong with making those who have the greater risk pay or is there? Is it immoral? The uninsurables in their ghettos? It's happening now and the results are tragic.

DNA and post codes face the same problem which is that knowledge of the risk does not imply any restorative measure are immediately available to correct the risk. It will be many years before DNA abnormalities can be corrected. Post code risk is tending to increase not diminish which implies that the risk is capable of feeding on itself. DNA (and post code) risk assessment is lethally flawed where a judgement of human behaviour is the intent but the society we are creating today demands answers so that it can tidily attach blame or pigeon-hole cause and this, DNA, is one question we shouldn't be asking but our curiosity will lead us to do so with appalling consequences .........



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[tony_brighton]

I think the address on this one is wrong - surely its a 'Dear Sir..' to the Times.

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[ParaHandy]

just testing .....

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[Twister_Ken]

The entire basis of the life assurance industry is to charge people more than they/their dependents will get back in benefits. With some exceptions they succeed. So on average they get their actuarial sums right. What benefit would they gain from access to DNA data on potential clients? They should be able to tell who will die earlier and thus increase those persons' premiums, and they should be able to tell who will live a long life, and reduce those peoples' premiums (premia???) accordingly. But would they do the latter? No, they'd take the profit.

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[claymore]

May I pose a problem

My Father had a bike.
He was a prolific man and worked on the 'Why make one woman miserable when I can make hundreds happy' theory.
Will this affect my DNA and thus my pension?

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Claymore
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[ParaHandy]

Re: on yer bike ...

d'youse mean there are mair o' ye wi' ra eye twitch an yin gammy leg tha's a few inches short .... michty may ra lord help us a'

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[ParaHandy]

Currently annuities are cheaper for smokers (shorter life expectancy) so that'll confuse them ....

I doubt that insurers deliberately set out to make anybody with an M12 post code uninsurable or houses uninsurable with a postcode in a flood area but that is happening. Postcoding did not cause this but once the tool was there it was logical to use and develop it. The averaging of risk is deemed inefficient and it is that that I object to on the grounds of egality and that before DNA further refines the model ......

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[Evadne]

People you've never heard of who write you letters, whether its Auld St Maigret's Famlye insurers or getit.cheaper-here.com have only one aim in life, and that's to part you from your money.

If they are good enough to honour their contracts and pay up when you have a claim without quibbling then, sooner or later, they'll be bought out by some hard-nosed kraut or they'll go down the pan.

Insurance - the white man's burden. (NB: for the purposes of this contract "white man" means anyone born south of a line 89 59' 59" N. By reading this post you have been presumed to have signed the contract. Our lawyers will be in touch.)


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[peterb]

How about taking money under false pretences? Our house is on top of a hill above the Thames valley, so for us to get flooded the whole of London would be inundated. I doubt very miuch whether the insurance industry would have sufficient funds. But they're quite happy to take my money for 'flood insurance'.

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