Life Insurance And Vaccines: What's The Connection?

A viral video by Dr. Peterson Pierre, a self-proclaimed doctor with AFLDS – America’s Frontline Doctors, claims that getting the COVID-19 vaccine will void your life insurance. He cites a French court case where a rich businessman with life insurance died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and the insurance company refused to pay out. Dr. Pierre also states that the American Life Insurance Council has said that life insurance policies may deny payment if the insured dies from the COVID-19 vaccine. However, this claim has been debunked by fact-checking organisations, and experts have called it anti-vaccine scaremongering.

The Covid-19 vaccine does not void your life insurance

The claim that the Covid-19 vaccine will void your life insurance policy has been called "anti-vaccine scaremongering" by Anna Rosenberg, senior life and risk policy advisor at the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa. There is no reason for life insurers to include such a clause in their policies.

The South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has stated that the idea that the Covid-19 vaccine will lead to the cancellation of a policy or the repudiation of a claim has "no merit or basis". The FSCA has recommended that policyholders contact their respective life insurers and/or financial advisors/brokers if they have any concerns.

Similar claims have been debunked in the US and Australia. The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) has posted statements refuting the claim that life insurers will deny payment if someone dies from the Covid-19 vaccine. The Financial Services Council of Australia (FSC) has also reassured Australians that taking the Covid-19 vaccine will not invalidate life insurance policies.

The claim that life insurance companies are voiding policies for vaccinated people is false

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), which regulates the market conduct of financial institutions providing financial products and services, has stated that these claims have "no merit or basis". The FSCA expects that taking a Covid-19 vaccine will not lead to the cancellation of a policy or the repudiation of a claim. The World Health Organization and various governments have also confirmed that Covid-19 vaccines are safe and have undergone rigorous testing and approval.

The idea that Covid-19 vaccines are experimental treatments and that deaths resulting from them are considered suicide is also false. Covid-19 vaccines have received either emergency use authorisation or full approval from health authorities, and they have passed their clinical tests. As such, they are not considered experimental, and deaths resulting from them are not considered suicide.

Life insurance companies may reject a claim if the policyholder has not fully disclosed or updated important information, such as changes to their health, or if they have violated policy terms or missed premium payments. However, a policyholder's decision to receive or not receive a Covid-19 vaccine is not a valid reason for a claim to be denied.

In summary, the claim that life insurance policies are being voided for vaccinated people is false and misleading. Getting the Covid-19 vaccine will not invalidate a person's life insurance policy, and life insurance companies will pay out claims to vaccinated people who pass away, provided that all other conditions of the policy have been met.

The Covid-19 vaccine is not experimental

The Covid-19 vaccines have also received approval from health authorities. The Pfizer vaccine obtained full FDA approval on 23 August 2021, while the Moderna vaccine obtained its approval on 31 January 2022. The European Medicines Company (EMA) also renewed the authorisation for these vaccines, as well as those from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

The Covid-19 vaccines have been proven safe and effective in huge clinical trials involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers. They continue to be monitored through post-marketing surveillance to catch very rare side effects.

The term "experimental" is a tactic used to invoke fear. It is not a scientific term being used to describe the Covid-19 vaccines. Rather, the vaccines are available under the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) because they are way beyond the experimental phase.

The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) has refuted the claim that life insurance policies may deny payment for those who die from the Covid-19 vaccine

The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) has refuted the claim that life insurance policies may deny payment if the policyholder dies from the Covid-19 vaccine. The ACLI, which represents 280 life insurance companies, has stated that such claims are "misinformation" and that receiving a Covid-19 vaccine will not result in the denial of insurance claims. This statement was reiterated by ACLI Senior Health Actuary Jan Graeber, who emphasised that life insurance policies are explicit about their terms and conditions, and a policyholder's decision to receive or not receive the Covid-19 vaccine is not a cause for denying a claim.

In a March 2021 statement on the council's website, Paul Graham, senior vice president of policy development at the ACLI, addressed the claim directly. He asserted that "life insurers do not consider whether or not a policyholder has received a COVID vaccine when deciding whether to pay a claim." Graham further clarified that life insurance policy contracts clearly outline the reasons for denying a benefit, and receiving a Covid-19 vaccine is not one of them. He reassured policyholders that nothing has changed in the claims-paying process due to Covid-19 vaccinations.

The stance of the ACLI is supported by similar statements from other insurance organisations. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association and the Association of British Insurers have both confirmed that Covid-19 vaccinations will have no impact on individual life insurance coverage or benefits. Additionally, state-level organisations in the US, such as the Louisiana Department of Insurance, the New York Department of Financial Services, and the Texas Department of Insurance, have also addressed this misinformation, emphasising that life insurance companies will not cancel coverage or deny claims based on Covid-19 vaccination status.

The false claim that life insurance policies may deny payment for those who die from the Covid-19 vaccine has been circulating on social media and has caused concern among the public. However, the ACLI and other insurance authorities have been proactive in refuting these claims and providing clarity to policyholders. It is important for individuals to seek information from reliable sources and not rely solely on social media posts or misinformation.

The Covid-19 vaccine has been proven safe and effective

There is no evidence to support the claim that getting the Covid-19 vaccine will void your life insurance. This claim has been debunked by fact-checking organisations in South Africa, the US, and Australia. Sector experts have dismissed the idea as "scaremongering" and illegal.

The Covid-19 vaccines have undergone the most intensive safety analysis in US history, and they continue to be monitored for safety even after approval by the FDA. The vaccines are subject to several different safety systems, including the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and V-safe, which allow healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers, and patients to report any adverse events following vaccination.

The updated 2024-2025 Covid-19 vaccines target newer variants of the virus and are recommended for everyone aged 5 and older. The vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalisation, and death from Covid-19.

The vaccines work by using mRNA technology, which sends instructions to host cells in the body to create copies of a spike protein. Our cells recognise that this protein doesn't belong, and the immune system is activated, producing antibodies. This will prompt the body to recognise and attack the real SARS-CoV-2 spike protein if exposed to the virus.

The side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine are generally mild and may last one to three days. Common side effects include soreness, redness, or swelling at the injection site, as well as tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, or nausea.

In summary, the Covid-19 vaccine has been proven safe and effective at preventing severe illness and death. The vaccines have undergone rigorous testing and continue to be monitored for safety. The updated 2024-2025 vaccines target newer variants and are recommended for everyone aged 5 and older to ensure ongoing protection against the virus.

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