There is a lot of information that an actuary may use to create a life insurance questionnaire or to set rates. For instance, consider the information below from the American Cancer Society.

After reviewing the above information, you can understand why a life insurance questionnaire may ask, "Have you ever had cancer?"

If you're interested in becoming an actuary, or someone that analyzes risk and the likelihood of future events, you can study Actuary Science during college. For more information regarding actuary science, professions, scholarships, and skills, visit BeAnActuary.org.

Sample answer:

As long as your answers are kept confidential, I think it is reasonable that you are asked to supply this information. The insurance comes with your employment package. So, the actuaries do not need your information to set an insurance premium. They do need it to estimate how much money to reserve for insurance benefits if an employee dies.