Unavailability of insurance for vulnerable groups

As a result of an increasing number of claims, especially those associated with disasters, insurance companies are increasingly selective in the groups to which they are prepared to offer coverage. Individuals with recent claims may find it difficult to obtain new coverage, including those who have been the victims of crimes such as burglaries. Corporations manufacturing toxic chemicals may also be refused coverage or required to negotiate separate contracts.

In Malawi, a leading insurance company withdrew from the market for life insurance when the government banned AIDS test on applicants seeking cover. Here, as across Africa, AIDS-related claims have multiplied five to twenty-five fold between the mid 1980s and early 1990s, and look rise uncontrollably through the 1990s. Adult life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to fall to 47 years by 2000, compared with 62 without the AIDS factor.