RSS - Subscribe Here!| 5/8/2008 3:32 AM | Email this article  • Print this article  |
Blocking genetic data We all have a vested interest in controlling the costs of health insurance. But at a time when science can move faster than policy, we have to decide how far we are willing to go. If genetics can predict if someone is likely to develop a long-term illness at age 50, should insurance companies and employers use the data to save all of us money? By large majorities (the lone dissenter was Rep. Ron Paul of Texas) Congress wisely said no. It approved legislation last week that would ban insurers from considering genetic information in setting rates or benefits and forbid employers to use it in personnel decisions. But the Institute for Health Freedom claims there was a huge oversight. By placing genetic data under HIPAA regulations, Congress inadvertently legalized its sharing among health-care entities, including insurers, without patient permission. If this analysis is true, Congress should correct this defect before the bill becomes law.
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1 comments
insurance company : 5/8/2008
they allready ruened health care, they might as well finish the job
