Firm to Offer Life Insurance to HIV-Infected

Acknowledging extraordinary medical advances against AIDS, an Illinois insurer has become the first in the nation to offer life insurance to people infected with HIV.

Guarantee Trust Life Insurance, a Glenview, Ill.-based company that specializes in insuring high-risk individuals, is test-marketing the coverage.

“From a life insurance risk perspective, we believe many otherwise healthy HIV-positive individuals are more appropriately viewed as having a treatable chronic illness rather than a terminal disease,” said Richard Holson, president of the 60-year-old company.

Those who qualify must be under 49, have certain levels of T-cells and not have full-blown AIDS. Guarantee Trust initially will offer the coverage only to Illinois residents.

The price will be substantially higher than insurance for an average person without an illness.

A fairly healthy 30-year-old man who doesn’t smoke would pay about $55 a month for a $50,000 universal life policy, said Monty Edson, Guarantee Trust senior vice president for marketing. If that same person were HIV positive, the policy would cost about $300 a month, Edson said.