Congress close on bill to ban genetic discrimination

[Guest guest]

Congress close on bill to ban genetic discrimination

By JIM ABRAMS – 16 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers have agreed to make it illegal for

employers and insurance companies to deny applicants jobs and health

care coverage because DNA tests show they are genetically disposed to

a disease.

Supporters of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act said

Wednesday that the Senate planned to vote on it Thursday. The House

also is likely to give quick approval to the bill, sending it to

President Bush for his signature.

A similar bill passed the House by a 420-3 vote a year ago. The White

House, at the time, indicated its support for the legislation.

Sponsors reached an agreement Tuesday with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.,

who had been blocking Senate action on the bill.

The compromise tightens language to ensure there is a " firewall "

between the part dealing with health plans and the section regarding

employment so as to discourage inappropriate claims.

It also makes clear that, while individuals are protected from

discrimination based on genetic predisposition, insurance companies

still have the right to base coverage and pricing on the actual

presence of a disease.

Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Kennedy, D-Mass., and Mike Enzi,

R-Wyo., and Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-N.Y., have been pushing the

issue for years, asserting that dramatic advances in genetic research

make it crucial that people are protected from discrimination.

Snowe noted that nearly 32 percent of women offered a genetic test

for breast cancer risk by the National Institutes of Health declined

because of concerns about health insurance discrimination.

" Like discrimination based on race and gender, genetic discrimination

is based on the unchangeable and — because the information must be

sought out by the offender — is equally offensive, " she said.

Kennedy said the bill will " unlock the extraordinary potential of

this new era of the life sciences. "

The legislation forbids sponsors of health coverage from requesting

or using genetic information to adjust premiums or to determine

eligibility.

It would prohibits employers from using genetic information in

hiring, firing, assignment or promotion decisions.

The Senate unanimously passed versions in 2003 and 2005 but the House

did not take up the issue until last year, when Democrats took

control of both houses.

Slaughter said she had introduced the first version of the

legislation 13 years ago. " Since no one is born with perfect genes,

each one of us is a potential victim of genetic discrimination, " she

said.

Sharon Terry, president of the advocacy group the Coalition for

Genetic Fairness, said that when she started working on the issue 13

years ago there were only a few single-gene disorders in play. Now,

she said, genetic information is essential to research into major

diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease or afflictions

such as Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease.

She said there are many people, such as those with colon cancer in

their families, who want to enroll in clinical studies but don't

because of fear of discrimination. " They call us with lots of

heartbreaking stories and they are not willing to go public with

those stories, " she said.

The bill is H.R. 493.

On the Net:

Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/

[Guest guest]

Congress is 15 years too late that I know of on this matter.

When I was a grad student at NCSU in genetics we had people in the

classes who were employees of the insurance industries around the RTP.

They were there to learn how to do certain methods. When talking to

them in 1993 I found out that the insurance companies were already

databasing blood samples. As one person put it

" just try to get an insurance company to pay for blood work without

giving a SS# "

I purpose tried even after Clinton signed his bill around 1998. The

lab wouldn't even process it.

They have been databasing our blood samples for at least 15 years to

screen for coverage purposes. They likely have 2-3 generation family

histories now. Sure they can't openly discriminate if this law goes

through but will they? You think they would openly admit that they

have been doing so?

Clinton signed a similar law back when he was in office. He was about

5 years late then.