Published on 12, July, 2020
Does the NAS know of any instances where failing to declare ASD has invalidated an insurance policy?
Insurance companies are not known for their honesty or their clarity, and they have a passion for trying to avoid having to pay out following a claim.
The central plank of this discussion are instances where an insurance policy has been invalidated because the person did not declare ASD even though ASD had nothing to do with the nature of the claim. For example, the cost of a stay at a hotel because a plane was cancelled or damage to the roof of a house by a storm.
Should insurance companies even be allowed to ask customers if they have ASD and increase premiums as a result without any prior consultation of the NAS or other sufficiently knowledgeable individuals? Actuaries are able to cross-correlate almost any variable they like but should there be a limit to what factors they can take into account? Recent research has revealed that a persons name affects how much they pay!
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/01/higher-insurance-if-you-re-called-mohammed-s-just-start-institutionalised
https://mend.org.uk/news/car-insurance-expensive-mohammed-john/
5pillarsuk.com/.../
Arran said:Should insurance companies even be allowed to ask customers if they have ASD and increase premiums as a result without any prior consultation of the NAS or other sufficiently knowledgeable individuals?
Simply put, NO. If anyone finds that this is the case, then usually a quick note to the insurance company reminding them of their obligations under The Equalities Act 2010 usually reminds them that they are being "naughty" and the issue resolves itself (at least in my experience).
If you do not get any joy, then refer the matter to the insurance ombudsman stating very clearly that your ASD had absolutely no relevance to the claim - in the case of motor insurance, the only question that the insurance company is allow to ask is "do you have any medical conditions that are reportable to the DVLA?" As long as you can answer "NO" then they are no allowed to ask anything further either at the time of the quote or the time of a claim (as long as it really has not had any impact on your driving or the cause of the claim).