Genetics and the Cancer Insurance Policy Debate

A cancer insurance policy is available to anyone who has not been diagnosed with the disease in recent years. It subsidizes comprehensive health insurance by paying a cash sum to the insurance policy holder, either all at once or throughout the course of treatment. The best part of this lump sum amount is that the policy holder can use the amount at his/her discretion (to pay the medical or for the leisure activities).

This is especially good news for those who have a family history of cancer since they are at a higher risk of developing the disease. While many cancers are common in family members because they share risk factors, like smoking, there are particular cancers that are common because an abnormal gene has been passed from generation to generation. This is a perfect example of how a cancer insurance policy can benefit a family.

Cancer is caused by a mutated gene and one of the types of mutated genes is inherited. This type of mutation begins at conception and is in every cell of the body. Genes do many things but in the role of cancer, they have 2 primary roles. They can be a gene that allows cancer to grow or one that suppresses its growth. A mutation can continue to divide until it develops into cancer. And when a person inherits these genes, one mutation has already taken place. This makes it easier and quicker for an inherited cancer to develop earlier in life.

While this may sound pretty scary, most cancers are not the inherited variety. A cancer insurance policy will not protect a person from getting an inherited cancer. It will, however, help financially support a family if a member should be diagnosed with the disease.

If considering a cancer insurance policy, research the family tree first and look for specific clues that may indicate a history of the disease in the family. The first thing to look at is risk factors that have nothing to do with heredity. Was the family member overweight, smoke, or live or worked in a polluted environment? Once this has been established, look at how everyone is related, their age at the time of diagnosis, rare types of cancers, or someone who had more than one type of cancer.

These are indicators that cancer may be an inherited trait in the family tree. If this is the case, a cancer policy may supply some financial security if a family member should develop cancer. It will pay out a lump sum or installments throughout the course of treatment that can be used at the discretion of the insurance policy holder.