A US Senate committee last week approved legislation that would prevent insurers and employers from using genetic test results. The decision follows several years of debate about the issue, and builds on an executive order signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000, which barred federal agencies from using genetic information to discriminate against employees. The new bill, if it became law, would extend this ban to private sector employers and health insurance companies.
Scientists claim the measure will speed the arrival of 'personalised medicine' - the study of a person's genetic make-up to predict susceptibility to common diseases and to prescribe suitable treatments. 'If this passes, a major barrier to the adoption of genetic tools for the prediction of future illnesses will be removed' said Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. But the bill has been criticised as 'a solution in search of a problem' by a group of health insurance companies. 'Independent research confirms that health insurers do not currently use genetic information in determining coverage or in setting premiums, nor do they plan to do so in the future' said Donald Young, president of the Health Insurance Association of America.
The bill was introduced in 1997 by Republican senator Olympia J Snowe, but originally only covered health insurers, while Democrat senators wanted it expanded to include employers. It is now expected to pass the Senate, but its prospects in the House are said to be uncertain, although Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson last week issued a letter 'to express the administration's strong support' for the legislation.
Sources and References
-
Genetic discrimination ban advances
-
Panel breaks logjam for bill on employees' genetic history
-
Senate close to passing bill banning genetic discrimination
-
Senate committee OKs bill to ban genetic bias
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.