regarding company's insurance policy

[vanyel5]

my partner's company's insurance has decided to have people take blood tests/answer questionnaires regarding their health, if refused they have to pay an additional 600 dollars a year in premiums.  one of the questions on the form is if he is hiv+...i may seem naive to ask but is this legal?  the insurance company is already paying for his treatment meds so it should be obvious to them but i think outright answering the question puts him in an uncomfortable position...i know they state they comply with HIPPA but, call me a conspiracy oriented person, i don't trust that in this day and age. 

[JR Gabbard]

Hello vanyel5,
Welcome to the boards!
To answer your question, yes it is legal for an insurance company to ask questions about an insured person's health as part of the underwriting process.  It would be illegal for them to disclose that information after they collect it.  They would have serious liability exposure if they did disclose it.
Make sure to make a copy of any forms your partner fills out, and keep them with the rest of your insurance information, so you have a record of what was disclosed.
I know it can be difficult to trust insurance companies, but this is one of the few occasions when it is OK to disclose.  You are protected.  (Pre-existing conditions exclusions probably wouldn't be an issue, since he is already insured, and this is probably group insurance.)