HIV: Independent working group formed as Statement of Best Practice revised
An independent working group is to be set up by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to help the industry tackle HIV-related issues fairly. The news coincides with the publication of a new draft Statement of Best Practice for HIV, the result of a consultation launched in September last year.
The ABI is proposing that the working group should be multidisciplinary, representing the views of experts and key stakeholders. The Terence Higgins Trust and PinkFinance.com have already agreed to join and the ABI will be inviting more members once the new Statement is in force.
Editor of PinkFinance.com, Chris Morgan, whose calls for a working party were reported on in the February issue of COVER, will be joining the new group. "The fact that the ABI wish to form this group and appoint a gay man to consult on such sensitive issues is a sign that the industry is changing for the better," he said.
Key issues in the draft Statement include a proposal for insurers to update company policy on HIV and AIDS every three years, which should follow a three-yearly update of the Statement itself. The current guidance on HIV test results will be strengthened to reassure applicants a negative result will not be held against them. Draft rules also suggest test results should be delivered to applicants by trained healthcare professionals to ensure they receive the correct counselling.
Other changes have been made to the way insurers ask questions relating to gauging the risk of HIV. This includes scrapping the question 'Do you practice safe sexual behaviour?' from standard questionnaires.
Responses to the consultation were received from various parties including insurers, HIV charities and working groups and the British Medical Association.
Richard Walsh, head of health at the ABI, said there were inevitably areas of contention when compiling the draft Statement, but the new working group should make the process easier in the future. "It has been a very complex exercise, as there are so many different views. Going forward the working group will be informing future policy-making, which should ease the process.
"One area of change we are seeing is the prevalence of HIV in particular groups, with the number of heterosexual cases on the increase, it will bring some major challenges. Let's hope together we can help encourage responsible sexual behaviour."
