Senate votes to allay physician, patient fears over genetic tests

Now advocates for legislation banning genetic discrimination are pushing the House to act.

By Joel B. Finkelstein, AMNews staff. Nov. 3, 2003.

Washington -- Genetic information holds the promise of advancing disease prevention to a whole new level. A bill recently passed in the Senate would help ensure that the potential for genetic discrimination does not get in the way, physician groups and other advocates said.

The measure "would allow patients to make the decision [whether to get a genetic test] based on what is good for their health, instead of based on concerns about discrimination," said Yank D. Coble Jr., MD, immediate past president of the American Medical Association.

The legislation, which passed unanimously in the Senate, would prohibit health insurers and employers from using the results of patients' genetic tests against them. The bill's supporters are now encouraging the House to approve the measure.

"House consideration and passage of legislation are necessary to ensure the future success of the genetics field," Dr. Coble said.

A law is essential, according to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, MD (R, Tenn.). "We must protect consumers from the threat that their genetic information may be used to deny them access to health insurance coverage or to the benefits of employment," he said.

Dr. Frist was pivotal in bringing the measure to the Senate floor for a vote, according to Deven McGraw, policy counsel for the National Partnership for Women and Children, which heads up the Coalition for Genetic Fairness.

"The law really has not kept up with the science," she said. "As we've made these advances in mapping the human genome and coming up with markers for serious illnesses, ... there was always this fear among consumers that this information would be used against them, either to deny them health insurance or to hurt them in some way in their terms and conditions of employment."