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Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not affect your insurance coverage

“Getting the vaccine will not affect your insurance coverage. No one should be afraid and choose to not protect themselves from COVID-19 because they are worried about it affecting their benefits. All of Canada’s life and health insurers are supportive of Canadians receiving government approved vaccinations to protect themselves from serious illness and death.”


  • Kevin Dorse, Assistant Vice President, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA), March 8, 2021



When my colleagues started to post information about the COVID vaccination, I was a bit confused. I have been licenced to sell Life Insurance since 2003; and, in all that time, I had never asked anyone about their vaccination status. In selling policies, I have had to ask my clients about their height and their weight. I have had to ask them about their gender, about their smoking status and the amount of alcohol they consumed. I have had to ask my client’s about their drug consumption patterns including whether the drugs my clients consumed were herbal or supplements; prescription, legal or elicit.


I have asked my male clients about prostate exams and my female clients about mammograms and paps smears. I have had to ask about all sorts of health questions. But in all my years, I have never had to ask my clients or potential clients about their vaccination history. So I was confused. 


It was only after a deep dive that I realized that some unfortunate souls were misinforming the public. 

Or to quote the CLHIA, “Contrary to misinformation being shared on-line, receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will have no effect on the ability to obtain coverage or benefits from life insurance or supplementary health insurance.


The CLHIA is aware of misinformation that is being spread through social media claiming that individuals who get the vaccine will not be able to get life insurance or may be denied their life insurance benefits. These claims are incorrect and have no basis in fact whatsoever.” Or put differently, the Canadian Life and Health Industry has a lot of confidence in the four vaccines available to the Canadian Public: the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.


One of the reasons why the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Industry has such confidence is because all medications in Canada are approved by Health Canada. While not perfect, Health Canada has a long track record of being independent. They have a long history of using a rigourous scientific and medical assessment process which leads to world class results. Health Canada has proven themselves to be trustworthy; and, as a result, any life, health or sickness policy issued in Canada is more secure. This strong regulatory climate reduces underwriting risk. Thus, at least from an insurer’s point of view, Canada is a good place to do business. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Industry recognizes this. 


Furthermore, the Canadian Life Insurance Industry has always supported Vaccination. Vaccinations reduce the risk of viruses and improve the quality and length of life of all those who take them. This too is also good for business. Accordingly, it should not be a surprise that the Canadian Life Insurance Officers Association helped to fund work at the University of Toronto’s Connaught Medical Research Laboratories in 1947. This help would eventually lead to the development of the Toronto Method: a way of increasing the industrial production of the Salk Polio Vaccine. 


Consequently, it wasn’t a surprise to me that our industry stressed that “vaccination is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself and others from serious illness and death from COVID-19.” Receiving the vaccine will not affect your individual or workplace life or health insurance policies, or one’s ability to apply for future coverage. However, if you do get the vaccine, you will be helping all of us - all Canadians - to get back to normal more quickly. 


If you have any questions, please contact me. I can talk to you about your coverage and your policy. But as a basic rule, when it is your turn, please take the shot. I know I will. 
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