Health insurers under attack over spying
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Key representatives of health insurers have been fiercely attacked for recommending that private investigators use secretly taped telephone calls and confidential medical records to spy on people who claim on permanent health insurance policies because they are unable to work.
June McKerrow, a director at the Mental Health Foundation, said: "The whole thing is horrific and it shows the degree of prejudice and ignorance that there is. Insurers' practice is by anyone's standards unacceptable."
Permanent Health Insurance Forum, a trade body representing most of the big names in the industry, actively recommends the use of private investigators by members, according to documents obtained by The Independent.
The forum includes industry leaders such as Black Horse Life, Allied Dunbar, Norwich Union, Friends Provident, Lincoln, Royal & Sun Alliance and Permanent Insurance, who together sell 79,000 policies a year. While no company is forced to follow the practice, some insurers claim that private investigators are necessary to limit false claims, which might otherwise inflate premiums to unaffordable levels.
Mental health groups expressed outrage that insurers recommended using private eyes to investigate claims for certain disabilities which "predispose themselves to private investigation," such as stress, mental illness, back problems, ME and RSI.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments