COVID Vaccine Does Not Impact Life Insurance Coverage
The Claim
Life insurance companies will deny coverage for people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
News posted on
Emerging story
For the past few weeks, claims have concerned social media users that if someone dies after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, life insurance will deny payouts. Some claim that because the vaccines are “experimental,” insurance doesn’t have to pay.
Misbar’s Analysis
Claims that life insurance will deny payouts for people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine are false. First, 285 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Out of these , 0.0017% were reported to have died, although these deaths were not confirmed to have been directly caused by the vaccine. Second, these vaccines are not considered experimental, as they have been put through standard safety testing and rigorous clinical trials.
The American Council of Life Insurers was inundated with calls following the spreading of this claim. Their Senior Vice President of Policy Development, Paul Graham, released a press statement in which he said, “Life insurers do not consider whether or not a policyholder has received a COVID vaccine when deciding whether to pay a claim. Life insurance policy contracts are very clear on how policies work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a benefit. A vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them.” He urged policy holders to contact their specific companies for further reassurance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has released not only sickness but a barrage of misinformation surrounding the virus. Like false claims of herpes simplex and increased miscarriages, recent claims of life insurance not covering death following the COVID-19 vaccine are unfounded.
