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Australian private insurer offers half-price genome scan
The insurance company claim that it will not have access to the results of the test, and that using the services “will not impact on [the] health insurance premiums”. Instead, the company hopes that “by gaining insight into your health risks you have the power to help delay or prevent [various common] conditions”. Nonetheless, it has been claimed that people are turning down genetic tests because of fear that the results will adversely affect insurance cover (see the Sydney Morning Herald). According to the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council, although Australian law prohibits the use of genetic test information by providers of health insurance, providers of life insurance can use the results to decide who to cover and to set premiums. Moreover, if individuals have had a DNA-based test, they must report these results in their life insurance application.
Comment: The issue of 'genetic discrimination' – broadly defined as the unfair treatment of an individual based on their genetic make-up – is extremely controversial and highly complex. Different jurisdictions have dealt with the issue in various ways due to their diverse health care systems, from enacting national legislation banning the use of genetic and familial information by health insurers (see previous news), to allowing insurance companies to self-impose a voluntary moratorium against the use of genetic test results (see previous news).
In the context of risk-based insurance system, where premiums depend upon estimating an individual’s risk of disease based on numerous different factors (age, sex, smoking, family history, etc), it is unclear why 'genetic' information should be singled out and treated any differently from any other information that might be relevant. This is particularly pertinent for multifactorial diseases, where the contribution of common genetic variants is normally substantially outweighed by other environmental or behavioural risk factors. Thus, information provided by whole genome SNP profiling is unlikely to be have much effect on insurance premiums. However, there is little descent from the view that individuals with inherited monogenic disorders – especially where the phenotype is not apparent (such as late-onset diseases) – should not be unfairly treated on the basis of their future risk of disease. The question is therefore how best to avoid this situation without creating an unnecessary and inappropriate legislative burden.
The PHG Foundation is currently working to develop recommendations around the issue of genetic discrimination with respect to both insurance and employment within the UK.
Keywords: Direct to consumer tests, Discrimination, Disease Susceptibility (Genetic), Genetic Tests, Testing & Screening, Insurance & Employment
Comments (1)
Andro Hsu (February 26 2010, 6:35 pm)
Actually, under GINA family history is now considered "genetic information". So group health plans will no longer be allowed to request, require, or acquire family history.