State RegulationsMA specificDifficulty 1/5
Which statement states the rule of M.G.L. c. 175, § 120E on genetic tests in Massachusetts life insurance underwriting?
Select an option to reveal the answer and the full 3-part explanation — free, no signup.
Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
M.G.L. c. 175, § 120E, within the §§ 120A through 120E protected-class series, bars insurers from seeking or using genetic-test results and genetic information to decline, limit, or rate life insurance applicants. The statute closes the door on genetic underwriting regardless of documentation or other file contents, and the Massachusetts Division of Insurance enforces the prohibition. The other protected-class sections in the series extend similar protection to categories such as blindness and intellectual disability.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Requiring a genetic test of applicants is precisely the practice M.G.L. c. 175, § 120E forbids insurers from pursuing.
- C) A family history already on file does not unlock the use of genetic-test results; M.G.L. c. 175, § 120E bars their use on its own terms.
- D) Documentation of a genetically based denial does not cure it; M.G.L. c. 175, § 120E prohibits the decision itself.
Memory hook
§ 120E: genes are off-limits — no seeking, no using, no rating on them.