Insurance Challenge for Pakistani Americans
By M. Saud Anwar
US

PAKPAC has received reports from individuals across the country whose applications for life insurance have been denied because of past or future travel plans to Pakistan, or any other country on the State Department warning list. The action taken by the insurance industry varies from application denial, charging higher premiums, and in one case an outright prohibition on travel to Pakistan. Both business and pleasure travel are affected. Our review of the issue indicates that the actions taken by insurers are not supported by a reliable statistical analysis of the risks associated with travel to Pakistan or any other country.
Legislation preventing the insurance industry from taking this type of action without a bona fide statistical analysis was recently passed in California and Washington. New York, Illinois, and Maryland have laws protecting applicants from being denied life insurance based on past lawful travel. Legislation is pending in several other states including Massachusetts.
The Connecticut Chapter of PAKPAC is currently working to provide legal protection in Connecticut that would protect residents from adverse action based upon past and future lawful travel. To move forward we need to assemble data about incidents in Connecticut.
If you or someone you know in Connecticut has been denied life insurance coverage or charged a higher premium based on past or future lawful travel, please let us know via email to info@pakpac.net as soon as possible.
Initial discussion with the legislators in Connecticut suggests that having more information on this issue with examples would be critical. Please consider stepping forward for helping yourselves out of this situation.

 

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