BIDEN: We Must Protect All Americans Against Genetic Discrimination
Press Release
BIDEN: We Must Protect All Americans Against Genetic Discrimination
Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) applauded the unanimous Senate passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (GINA), which provides a number of protections for an individual against potential genetic discrimination, either in their health insurance coverage or the workplace. This bill will help keep personal information gleaned from genetic testing or research confidential, so insurance companies cannot use the information to raise a premium or limit coverage, and employers cannot use it in hiring or other personnel decisions. Sen. Biden, a long-time advocate and co-sponsor on the legislation, issued the following statement:
"This bill is a long time coming. Because of the incredible advances in medicine and genetic science, it is imperative that we protect Americans from having their genetic information used against them by insurance companies or their employers," said Sen. Biden. "Advances in genetic research must continue in order to improve methods of diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases that afflict millions of Americans. Patients must be able to participate in genetic research or undergo genetic tests without fear that the information revealed will ultimately raise their health premiums or put their job at risk - and that's exactly what this legislation does."
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 provides protections that:
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Prohibit health insurance enrollment restrictions and premium adjustments based on genetic information or genetic services;
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Prevent health plans and insurers from requesting or requiring that an individual take a genetic test;
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Prohibit discrimination in hiring, compensation, and other personnel processes; and
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Require genetic information possessed by employers to be confidentially maintained and disclosed only to the employee or under other tightly controlled circumstances.
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