Insurers do not request genetic test results, IAM assures

Maltese insurance companies do not request genetic test results as part of underwriting or claims assessments, the Insurance Association Malta (IAM) said, referring to recent claims that medical data may have been disclosed without patients’ consent.

In a statement issued in response to recent comments made in Parliament by Labour MP Amanda Spiteri Grech, IAM stressed that insurers only receive medical information following the explicit authorisation of the individual concerned.

“Insurers wish to assure the public that they only receive medical data after the individual explicitly authorises its release. The IAM remains committed to safeguarding client information, promoting transparent insurance practices, and ensuring genetic test results, predictive or otherwise, have no bearing on underwriting decisions,” the Association said.

Dr Spiteri Grech alleged that results from genetic testing for disease predisposition carried out at Mater Dei Hospital were being relayed to insurers without patient consent. She warned that such claims risked discouraging individuals from undergoing genetic testing out of fear that results could negatively affect their insurance coverage.

IAM said it was crucial to distinguish between any alleged unauthorized disclosure of medical data and the regulated, consent-driven process through which insurers may legitimately receive relevant medical information. 

“Any medical information received by insurers forms part of a formal request made with the client’s explicit consent. Insurers do not obtain information through unauthorised or informal channels,” the Association said.

Maltese insurance companies, it reiterated, did not request genetic test results as part of underwriting or claims assessment. Where an individual has consulted a genetics specialist, insurers may seek the medical context of that consultation where relevant, but do not request the results of genetic tests themselves.

“If genetic information appears incidentally, within broader medical documentation released with the client’s consent, it is not requested for that purpose and is not used in standard underwriting.

“In rare cases, individuals may choose to share genetic test information voluntarily. Such disclosures are entirely optional and are considered only within the scope of established clinical and underwriting requirements.

“Risk assessments are based on medical history, clinical evidence, and established underwriting criteria — not on predictive genetic probabilities. This aligns with the principle that a predisposition is not a diagnosis.”

IAM believes that any allegations of unauthorised data leakage must not be conflated with the lawful, consent-based processes that govern insurers’ access to medical information.