Young cancer survivors disadvantaged by medical history for years longer than necessary
Young cancer survivors are obliged to report their disease to insurers for ten years after they’ve recovered, while they mostly have the same survival rate as their peers who haven’t had cancer four years after recovery. This means that they face unnecessarily high insurance premiums for six years longer than they have to, NOS reports.
Research by the Netherlands Cancer Institute, the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, and Erasmus Medical Center has found that four years after recovery, many young cancer survivors have the same rate of survival as young adults who never had cancer. But the “clean slate” policy, introduced in the Netherlands in 2021, stipulates that former patients can only stop reporting their medical history after being healthy for 10 years.
That is unfair, Chantal Lammens of the National AYA Young and Cancer Care Network told NOS. Reporting your medical history when taking out health or life insurance often means much higher premiums. But it has more than financial consequences. “How wonderful would it be if they, in the prime of their lives, could be forgotten as patients, so that they aren’t constantly reminded of this?”
The broadcaster spoke to a 33-year-old woman from Amsterdam who recently took out a mortgage with her partner and applied for life insurance to cover the loan if something happens. “At first, I wasn’t accepted, then I was referred to a specialist who asked my doctor for information. Based on that, I was offered a customized policy for half of my mortgage, with a premium five times higher than my partner’s.”
The woman, who had acute lymphocytic leukemia, has been rebuilding her health since 2020. The disease no longer plays a role in her daily life, so being confronted with her medical history every time she applies for insurance feels deeply unfair. “These kinds of things remind me of that unpleasant process, even though I want to let it go as much as possible.”
The Dutch Association of Insurers told the broadcaster that it is happy to discuss whether the clean slate policy should be adjusted. “We are always looking for new insights that can further improve insurability. For example, this policy was revised last year. For various types of cancer, a shorter term of less than ten years now applies. We are pleased with this because it means more people can get better insurance.”
