I want to take out life insurance for my self-employment. Can I do that if I have HIV?

In most cases, insurance companies will categorically reject any application for life insurance from someone who is HIV-positive – even though antiretroviral drugs have brought the life expectancy of those living with HIV into line with that of the general population. There is thus no longer any justification to automatically deny life insurance to those living with HIV. This is also clearly backed by various studies, including that published by Swiss Re. Some insurers now offer HIV-positive individuals the opportunity to take out life insurance if the insurance company judges them to be in good health, according to criteria such as the time of their infection, CD4 count, viral load and no co-infection with hepatitis C, etc.

If you would like to take out life insurance, please feel free to contact the Swiss AIDS Federation legal information office. Where necessary, we will refer you to the insurance broker we work with, who has already found a solution for many people who living with HIV.