Sunday Times Daily reports that anti-vaxxers who don’t take the Covid-19 jab could “unfortunately” be hit with higher Discovery Life premiums, while those who are vaccinated will benefit from lower premiums.

This was because of the increased risk of not being vaccinated, Discovery Life CEO Riaan van Reenen said. This kicked in for new clients from Thursday. The insurer’s announcement on Thursday afternoon — of what it called a “first-of-its-kind underwriting determinant for the South African life insurance market” — predictably infuriated anti-vaxxers and delighted pro-vaxxers in equal measure. Van Reenen said: “We want to reward our clients who have helped the country by getting vaccinated. Through our premium PayBack reward mechanism, we are offering all qualifying clients their maximum possible PayBack, given their selected PayBack option and Integrator type, for the first year of their new policy. Clients are asked upfront if they have already been vaccinated, or if they plan to get vaccinated as soon as circumstances allow. If they answer yes they will get the offer.” Van Reenen went on to explain: “Refusal to be vaccinated is treated similarly to smoking or lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, which receive a higher premium. This premium will be adjusted should an unvaccinated client later decide to get vaccinated.” A Discovery spokesperson confirmed that existing clients’ risk and premium would not be affected by their vaccination status.

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Wendy Knowler at TimesLIVE

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