Guest guest Posted April 28, 2007 Report Share Posted April 28, 2007 Insurance companies are adamantly insisting that genetic information posessed by patients is essential for them to have in order to make decisions about who to insure and who not to insure. They feel that if they were barred from denying coverage to people becausde of genetic reasons, they could not offer health insurance and remain profitable. There is a big debate going on about this issue in Europe, especially England. But the media here in the US has been strangely silent. Genetic cherrypicking (or 'genelining' as its sometimes called) is coming. Thats why doctors have been under a lot of pressure to ask everyone questions about their family history on patient information forms. The insurance companies want to know and be able to share information on your ancestors and what diseases they had and what they died of, so they can use this information in setting the insurance rates for you (or more frequently, your employer) With people living longer, being able to use this kind of information to deny coverage or payment (say, if someone has lied on a form) is what makes the difference, they feel, between losses and profitability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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