The result of two key social developments in recent years are examined here: the partial dismantling of the welfare state and the progress of genetics. Genetic insights are increasingly valuable for risk assessment, and insurers would like to use these insights to help determine premiums. Combined with the fact that social welfare is being curtailed, this could potentially create an uninsured high-risk population. Along with considerations of autonomy and privacy, this is the basis for an ethical critique of insurer's access to information. The result has often been regulation of such information; but the authors argues that due to adverse selection, regulation will not solve these problems, and this may jeopardize the survival of private personal insurance. Instead, we should look towards the resurrection of social insurance, a key component of the welfare state. This will interest academic researchers as well as professionals involved with genetics and insurance.

Winner of The British Insurance Law Association (BILA) book prize for 2004

'… this timely book, a welcome translation from the Swedish original … This excellent book tells a cautionary tale about the prospects of total and partial regulation …'

Source: The King's College Law Journal

'The legal and moral implications of genetic testing and insurance risk assessment are of growing importance as our knowledge of genetics and their impact on the development of disease increases. This book looks at the subject from ethical and economic angles, as well as from a legal viewpoint, and should be read by all those interested in the ongoing debate on the extent to which disclosure of genetic information to insurers should be regulated.'

Source: Actuary

'Genes and Insurance is both thought provoking and a good read …'

Ken Davidson - Chairman of Crispin Speers & Partners (Lloyds Brokers), past Chairman of the British Insurance Law Association