At the risk of stirring controversy, insurance executives have been perfectly forthright concerning their policies toward potential AIDS victims. Responding to a survey conducted by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, 51 of 61 insurance companies admitted that they screen or plan to screen health- insurance applicants for signs of the AIDS virus. Half the firms give blood tests for the presence of AIDS antibodies, a sign that the applicant could be stricken with the disease.
Moreover, 18 firms reported that an applicant's sexual orientation is sometimes considered a factor in determining insurability. That practice defies guidelines issued by the National...