Rules would bar gene-based bias
SAN FRANCISCO – Insurers and health providers would be barred from discriminating against people based on genetic information under rules proposed by several federal agencies.
The proposed regulations, to implement the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act, passed last year, would prohibit insurers from denying health coverage or raising premiums based on the results of genetic tests, according to a joint statement from the US departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury. They would also forbid health plans and insurers from asking people to take gene tests and using the information to determine enrollment or set rates.
New technologies enable people to obtain increasingly detailed information about their unique genetic profile. Such data may help predict people’s risk for various diseases and how they will respond to drugs – or tell insurers about the odds of patients developing various gene-linked conditions.
“It is essential that we protect such information and ensure it is not misused by health plans or insurers,’’ said US Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis. “No one should have to fear that disclosure of their medical data will put their job or health coverage at risk.’’
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