We'll Just Pass A Law Making Discrimination Illegal
This week Congress passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act which would make prohibit health insurance companies from using genetic information to set premiums or determine enrollment eligibility. It also prohibits employers from using this information in hiring, firing or promotion decisions. Let's hope it's more effective at preventing discrimination than those other pesky laws they've passed.
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, each person probably has six or more genetic mutations that make them more susceptible to certain diseases. These can include breast cancer, sickle cell anemia and diabetes. The genetic mutation doesn't guarantee that a person will get a particular disease; conversely, not having a genetic mutation doesn't guarantee that a person won't get a disease.
The concern of discrimination is one of the reasons that I didn't have the BRCA test done when I was diagnosed, though it wasn't a large factor in my decision. I think this bill only covers health insurance companies, not life insurance companies, and the ability to get life insurance coverage is still a concern for me. Of course, genetic mutation or not, the whole cancer thing probably makes that a moot point anyway.
I'm still not ready to have the test, primarily because I don't think the test actually tells me anything. But this bill does go a long way to protect those who do undergo genetic testing, and hopefully we'll be able to use the information gained by identifying these mutations to better combat the diseases they produce.
And I know this person doesn't read my blog, but I feel the need to point this out. Last night on the NBC news there was a woman in her mid-twenties who had tested positive for BRCA 1. She paid cash for the test to avoid involving her insurance and used an alias. She's never told her doctors she tested positive. But she thought it was ok to announce to the world on television that she has BRCA? Dear, the president hasn't signed the bill yet and it's not yet illegal. I hope your insurance company wasn't watching!
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, each person probably has six or more genetic mutations that make them more susceptible to certain diseases. These can include breast cancer, sickle cell anemia and diabetes. The genetic mutation doesn't guarantee that a person will get a particular disease; conversely, not having a genetic mutation doesn't guarantee that a person won't get a disease.
The concern of discrimination is one of the reasons that I didn't have the BRCA test done when I was diagnosed, though it wasn't a large factor in my decision. I think this bill only covers health insurance companies, not life insurance companies, and the ability to get life insurance coverage is still a concern for me. Of course, genetic mutation or not, the whole cancer thing probably makes that a moot point anyway.
I'm still not ready to have the test, primarily because I don't think the test actually tells me anything. But this bill does go a long way to protect those who do undergo genetic testing, and hopefully we'll be able to use the information gained by identifying these mutations to better combat the diseases they produce.
And I know this person doesn't read my blog, but I feel the need to point this out. Last night on the NBC news there was a woman in her mid-twenties who had tested positive for BRCA 1. She paid cash for the test to avoid involving her insurance and used an alias. She's never told her doctors she tested positive. But she thought it was ok to announce to the world on television that she has BRCA? Dear, the president hasn't signed the bill yet and it's not yet illegal. I hope your insurance company wasn't watching!
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