Laws against Genetic Discrimination

There are two laws in effect (or in the process of negotiation between houses) that deal with the disclosure and discrimination based upon genetic information.

This is a VERY sticky topic.

Senate Bill 1053: The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2003 deals with health insurance and employment. It operates under bipartisan support and the idea that everyone should have healthcare. It basically defines genetic information and states that no employer or insurance agency can discriminate against an individual based on their genetic code. So, if I had a gene that is known to cause parkinson's, the insurance agency could not raise my rates, or drop my coverage based on this information.

There has been no movement on this bill since it was passed in 95-0 since October 2003.

Senate Bill 306: Genetic Nondiscrimination Act of 2005. This is the updated version of the Previous bill, but only pertains to healthcare. It amends the previous Public Health Service Act (PHSA) to include genetic information, and deals with group and individual coverage as well as Medicare. Premiums are not allowed to be adjusted based on genetic information and Health insurance providers are not allowed to require a genetic test for coverage purposes.