When underwriting current or past drug users there are various ways to minimise the risk of covering unscrupulous policyholders. James Jones tackles the issues
Though not a major problem for the insurance industry, careful risk assessment when it comes to underwriting a drugs history is essential. It was once thought drug abusers were unlikely to be in the insurance market and were therefore self selected out. This is now known to no longer be the case. The first underwriting stage is an unambiguous, direct question on the application form. The next stage employed by most companies is to obtain a drugs questionnaire. The questions must cover the drugs used, how they are taken, for how long, and when. If there is a chance for terms, a report is o...
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