NIB chief executive Fitzgibbon's opinion piece ("Health-care welfare state needs changing" Herald 27/1) made for interesting reading. Some of his ideas have merit.
But I found it rather coincidental, considering the letter our household received from NIB last week.
In the letter, Mr Fitzgibbon urged us to consider DNA testing with a US company somehow linked to NIB and at only half the usual price. Apart from the cost (about $600), there were other reasons to think twice about the offer.
I had cause a few years ago to undergo DNA testing because of an unusual, and possibly hereditary, syndrome. Unfortunately, receiving a positive result was a double-edged sword.
While it meant I could, to some small extent, use that knowledge to formulate a personal battle plan that could help with future health management, it also meant I immediately became persona non grata to certain insurers.
Coincidentally, I had been in the process of considering a change to my life insurance and income protection insurance. Thank goodness I hadn't yet cancelled with my original insurers, because I was deemed ineligible to any potential new insurer in light of the DNA results.
Insurers like NIB could potentially use DNA information to refuse membership or refuse a claim. It's a minefield.
Natalie Williams
Hamilton North
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