Human Rights Commission: "Refusing Subscription to Indemnity Health Insurance Solely Due to Depression Is Discrimination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Human Rights Commission has ruled that refusing to enroll in indemnity health insurance solely because a person suffers from depression constitutes discriminatory behavior.

On the 10th, the Human Rights Commission announced that it recommended the CEOs of two insurance companies, A and B, to revise their underwriting criteria to avoid uniformly rejecting or excluding patients with depression from indemnity health insurance enrollment, and to re-examine the complainant's insurance underwriting status. The commission stated, "Restricting indemnity health insurance enrollment uniformly based solely on suspicion of risk due to the presence of depression, without considering specific circumstances, constitutes discriminatory behavior infringing on the right to equality."

Earlier, in October 2020, the Human Rights Commission received a complaint that insurance enrollment was denied after the complainant disclosed during consultation with two insurance companies that they were taking psychiatric medication. The two insurers explained, "For applicants with depression, underwriting criteria vary depending on age, recurrence, hospitalization history, treatment duration, and elapsed time after treatment completion. However, indemnity health insurance underwriting has been conducted only after at least 1 to 5 years have passed since the end of depression treatment."

However, the Human Rights Commission judged that it is unreasonable to restrict insurance enrollment only for mental illnesses such as depressive disorders while allowing enrollment for chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension. The commission stated, "According to the underwriting criteria of the two insurers, individuals like the complainant who actively receive psychiatric treatment and manage their health are restricted from enrollment, whereas those who do not receive or have discontinued treatment can enroll, which is contradictory. Additionally, since antidepressants can be prescribed in other medical departments, it is difficult to view the application of consistent standards for similar risks."

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