Should anti-vaxxers pay more for life insurance?

ON THE face of it, people who are not vaccinated against vaccine-preventable deadly diseases pose a higher risk to life insurance companies than those who are. Should they be penalised accordingly?

This was the intriguing question posed by actuary Pamela Hellig, director of client services at MBE Consulting, at the recent annual convention of the Actuarial Society of South Africa. Hellig’s presentation was based on her paper “The ethical and practical considerations of using vaccination history as a rating factor in life insurance underwriting”.

When you apply for cover, the life insurance company