When you suffer from a chronic illness or have been treated for cancer, taking out outstanding balance insurance for a mortgage loan or a professional loan is a real obstacle course. And for good reason, before granting such insurance, the insurer inquires about the state of health of the borrower and his ability to repay his loan. If the fears concerning the survival of the borrower are too great in the eyes of the insurer, the contract may be increased by significant additional premiums or simply refused.
However, obtaining credit is not impossible. Since 2019, Belgium, like other European countries, has introduced the “right to be forgotten”. The principle is simple: allow patients declared cured for at least 10 years of a cancerous condition to take out outstanding balance insurance without having to pay an additional premium linked to their health history.
Two reference grids annexed to this law even provide for more “soft” methods for certain cancers and chronic diseases: periods of less than ten years, a capped premium, or even a ban on refusal of insurance.
Breast cancer is one of these specificities. Currently, the grids provide for a waiting period of 1 year after the end of the “in situ” cancer (when the tumor remains limited inside the tissue where it was born) and a waiting period of 10 years for all other stadiums.
But on reflection, a question arises: aren’t these delays too excessive for small tumors with no signs of seriousness (including stage I and II operable breast cancers)? Shouldn’t these delays be reduced since the treatments generally lead to a cure?