The Disease Concealment as a Premise of Refusing the Life Insurance Policy Payment in the Interwar Insurance System

Abstract

In the difficult times of reconstruction of Polish statehood, having a life insurance policy that actually secured the existence of the family after the death of its breadwinner was a luxury that few citizens could afford. The burden of paying premiums was too heavy for the vast majority of society, hence the decision to take out the policy was sometimes made too late – at a time when the person concerned already knew about a deadly disease that was consuming his body. In order to obtain an insurance policy, he hid information about the disease, which in turn exposed the insurance companies to losses. They fought this practice by refusing payments to people who, by signing the contract, concealed information important from the insurer’s point of view.