Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008

GENETIC INFORMATION NONDISCRIMINATION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - May 01, 2008)

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Ms. SCHWARTZ. Today, Americans buy health coverage believing they are doing the right thing and expecting that they have secured access for needed health services for themselves and their family. But, unfortunately, this is simply not always true. Individuals, regardless of their age or circumstances, are denied health coverage every day due to the evidence or existence of preexisting conditions. This could be anything from asthma to heart disease, and it could affect anyone from our Nation's children to our grandparents to each of us.

For more than 10 years, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act has provided protection for some individuals and families to ensure this information is not used to deny health coverage by either an employer or an insurer; but gaps still remain.

With the evolution of biomedical research, our Nation's scientists have discovered opportunities to use genetic information to prevent, diagnose, and more effectively treat some of the most devastating diseases of our lifetime. I am honored to represent some of these most brilliant researchers and scientists in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

In addition to the great medical potential they are exploring, genetic information also has the potential to reduce health care costs with better prevention and disease management. We must ensure that these new revelations do not come with a price: Discrimination by employers, insurers, schools, or others based on genetic information of those who are not even sick but are simply identified as being predisposed to a specific disease. If we do not reassure our fellow Americans that they are safe in taking full advantage of the opportunities provided by exploring the genetic information, then these advances in biomedical research could well be for naught.

For this reason, I applaud my colleague, Representative Slaughter, for introducing the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and for being its champion for so many years. I am proud to support its passage today. It is important for all Americans and their access to health coverage.

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