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Bill to Protect Genetic Data Ready


April 23, 2008

Lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate have reached agreement on legislation to protect genetic data, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has announced.

The bipartisan agreement means the Senate could pass the bill in the coming days, followed by House action. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, S. 358, passed the Senate during the past two congressional sessions, but the House never took action.

The bill’s provisions under the agreement include:

* Prohibiting enrollment restrictions and premium adjustments on the basis of genetic information or services;

* Preventing insurers under all types of health insurance programs from requesting or requiring an individual to take a genetic test;

* Prohibiting discrimination in hiring, compensation and other personnel issues based on genetic make-up;

* Prohibiting collection of genetic information by employers and allowing genetic testing only to monitor adverse effects of hazardous workplace exposures; and

* Requiring genetic information possessed by employers to be confidentially maintained and to be disclosed under tightly controlled circumstances.

Text of the bill as introduced and reported from a Senate committee more than a year ago is available at congress.gov. The new version will be available in the coming days.

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