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U.S. House of Representatives passes new genetic legislation act
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act by a vote of 414 to 1 earlier this month.
This legislation would prohibit insurers and employers from discriminating against individuals based on genetic information — such as diabetes or breast cancer.
The Senate passed the act by a unanimous vote of 95 to 0 on April 24. During an address to the National Institutes of Health, President George W. Bush said he is willing to sign the bill into law if it passes Congress.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act would prevent insurance programs from raising rates or denying coverage to individuals or groups based on genetic information. It will not allow insurers to request or require people to take genetic tests. Employers also would be prohibited from using genetic information during the hiring, firing or promotion process.
Federal passage of this act would allow researchers and clinicians to actively encourage individuals to participate in clinical trials, genetic screening, counseling and testing of new therapies without fear of genetic discrimination, according to The Genetic Alliance. – by Katie Kalvaitis
The clinical promise of genetic testing in endocrine and other diseases has been hampered by the widespread concern that genetic information could be appropriated for use in employment and insurance decisions. The passage of the federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act should allay these fears. However, the physician and patient still have to make complex decisions about genetic testing and its effect on the patient and the patient’s family. Although appropriate genetic testing can help, inappropriate testing can harm. So, genetic counseling remains an important adjunct to genetic testing.
– L.J. Deftos, MD, JD, LLM
Endocrine Today Editorial Board member