California Insurance Code

§ 10143

INS § 10143Div. 2 · Part 2 · Ch. 1 · Art. 2.5

Statute text

(a)No insurance company licensed in this state shall refuse to issue or sell or renew any policy of life or disability insurance after appropriate application solely by reason of the fact that the person to be insured carries a gene which may, under some circumstances, be associated with disability in that person’s offspring, but which causes no adverse effects on the carrier. Such genes shall include, but not be limited to, Tay-Sachs trait, sickle cell trait, thalassemia trait, and X-linked hemophilia A. No such policy issued and delivered in this state to any association, corporation, firm, fund, individual, group, order, organization, society, or trust subject to the supervision of the commissioner shall demand or require a higher premium rate or charge by reason of the fact that the person to be insured carries such traits than is at that time required of any other association, corporation, firm, fund, individual, group, order, organization, society, or trust in an otherwise identical classification, nor shall any association, corporation, firm, fund, group, individual, order, organization, society, or trust make or require any rebate, discrimination, or discount upon the amount to be paid or the service to be rendered on such policy because the person to be insured carries such traits.

(b)No insurance company licensed in this state shall insert in a policy of life or disability insurance any condition, nor make any stipulation, whereby the person insured who carries a gene which may, under some circumstances, be associated with disability in that person’s offspring, but which causes no adverse effects on the carrier, including, but not limited to, Tay-Sachs trait, sickle cell trait, thalassemia trait, and X-linked hemophilia A, shall bind himself, his heirs, executors, administrators, or assignees to accept any sum or service less than the full value or amount of the policy in case of a claim accruing thereon other than such as are imposed upon other persons in similar cases and any such stipulation or condition so made or inserted shall be void.

(c)No insurance company licensed in this state shall fix any lower rate in the fees or commissions of agents or brokers for writing or renewing a policy of life or disability insurance solely because the applicant carries a gene which may, under some circumstances, be associated with disability in that person’s offspring, but which causes no adverse effects on the carrier. Such genes shall include, but are not limited to, Tay-Sachs trait, sickle cell trait, or X-linked hemophilia A.

Legislative history

Added by Stats. 1977, Ch. 732.