Alcohol exclusion laws permit insurance companies to deny claims associated with the consumption of alcohol. They were passed in the 1940s in the United States to discourage people from drinking alcoholic beverages and to save insurance companies money from alcohol-related claims. It was believed that people would be less likely to drive while impaired or intoxicated if insurance companies could deny medical payments or other claims associated with any injuries associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Thirty-six states currently allow alcohol exclusions in health care insurance policies via either explicit exclusions or implicit exclusions determined by legal precedence. A growing number of states are overturning their alcohol exclusion laws, currently 14 states plus the District of Columbia prohibit insurance companies from including exclusions for

alcohol intoxication Alcohol intoxication, commonly described in higher doses as drunkenness or inebriation, and known in overdose as alcohol poisoning, is the behavior and physical effects caused by recent consumption of Alcohol (drug), alcohol. The technical ter ...

. There is to date no scientific evidence that alcohol exclusion laws discourage

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

. In fact, some argue that these laws discourage physicians and hospitals from testing crash victims for possible alcohol in their blood (BAC). That’s because insurance companies can refuse to pay doctors and hospitals for treating patients found to have alcohol in their bodies. In short, screening for alcohol could lead to the loss of payments from insurance companies. Because of this, there is concern that alcohol exclusion laws help drunken drivers avoid detection and increase the likelihood that they will repeat their crime in the future. Nine states now prohibit alcohol exclusions and several more are currently considering such action. The insurance industry supports alcohol exclusion laws. On the other hand, the professional organization which regulates that industry, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, has voted unanimously to recommend the repeal of alcohol exclusionary laws. Other groups supporting their repeal include the National Conference of Insurance Legislators, the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

, the

American College of Emergency Physicians The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is a professional organization of emergency medicine physicians in the United States. ACEP publishes the '' Annals of Emergency Medicine and the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physi ...

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a non-profit organization in the United States, Canada ( MADD Canada) and Brazil that seeks to stop driving with any amount of alcohol in the bloodstream, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent un ...

, the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, and the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

See also

References

Further reading