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Allowing Insurers to Reject Drinking-Related Claims May Not Influence Alcohol Use
Repealing state laws that allow insurance companies to deny claims for injuries caused by alcohol did not appear to increase alcohol consumption or binge drinking, according to study results published online ahead of print in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
“A central premise of alcohol exclusion laws (AELs) is that they function as a deterrent to risk-taking behaviors, such as excessive drinking,” wrote corresponding author Sunday Azagba, PhD, of the Penn State College of Nursing, University Park, Pennsylvania, and coauthors. “If this assumption is correct, state repeal of these laws should result in increased drinking.”
In 1947, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recommended states adopt AELs, but in 2001, recognizing alcohol dependency as an illness requiring treatment, reversed its position and recommended their repeal. Nevertheless, at least 23 states still have AELs, according to the Research Society on Alcoholism.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the 1993 through 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System phone survey of US adults. They assessed for any impact from the repeal of AELs on current drinking and binge drinking patterns.
Analysis showed no meaningful overall change in alcohol use in states that repealed AELs, according to the study.
While the odds of reporting drinking in the past 30 days significantly decreased in states that repealed AELs compared with states with AELs or that never had AELs, the effect was small. Similarly, small effects were found for increased odds of binge drinking in states that repealed AELs compared with states without AELs. However, there were no significant effects on current alcohol consumption or binge drinking after researchers adjusted for state-specific variables, including state blood alcohol concentration laws, cannabis laws, alcohol excise tax, median household income, and the proportion of the population with health insurance coverage.
“No discernable impact of state AEL repeal on alcohol consumption was found in most models, and the few statistically significant positive or negative results found involved small and inconsistent effects,” researchers concluded. “Future studies should consider other state-specific dimensions within the Uniform Accident and Sickness Policy Provision Law.”
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