State RegulationsCA specific✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 3/5
Under California law (CIC Sections 10146 and 10147(b)), a life insurer may not do which of the following?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Sections 10146 and 10147(b) prohibit California insurers from using genetic characteristics to deny, cancel, or limit coverage, or to charge a different premium. Genetic characteristics are protected from discrimination in insurance underwriting. The insurer may still use age, sex, medical history, and other lawful factors, and it may request medical examinations; what it cannot do is make genetic characteristics the basis for an adverse decision.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Questions about family medical history are not the use of the applicant's own genetic characteristics and are not prohibited.
- C) Age and sex remain lawful rating factors in life insurance.
- D) Requesting a medical examination is a normal underwriting step and is not prohibited.
Memory hook
Your genes are off-limits to the underwriter in California. Age and history still count; DNA does not.