Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (US)

[dumblemop]

The Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act recently passed both the United States House and Senate by insane margins (414 to 1 and 95 to 0, respectively), and is expected to be signed by President Bush. You can read more about the House and Senate GINA bills on Genome.gov, but the basic idea is to prevent discrimination in employment and health

Comments

[hrolleif]

Certain types of insurance (health and auto, mostly) discriminate based on age and gender.

[hrolleif]

life insurance too.

[ericaequites]

It's not pure discrimination. Differant rates are charged due to acutarial data carefully collected. Insurance is the most genteel form of gambling. Insurance companies need to stay in business.
All insurance discrimates based on data. Homeowners' insurance is higher if you live where there are no hydrants or a volunteer fire brigade.
However, Blue Cross of RI charges about 15% more for married couples than for two separate adults, which makes no sense, so that would feed into your arguement.

[hrolleif]

Actually, I wasn't making an argument, just an observation. It really doesn't make much sense to me that I get auto insurance quotes that are higher as a male than I do as a female, despite the fact I'm the same person with the same driving habits. Same goes for basing, in part, my premium rates on my credit score. My credit score has nothing at all to do with my driving habits.

So perhaps the data is "carefully collected" but it sure isn't logically interpreted. No argument here on the fact that they are in business to make money, though.

[tinamou]

From what I can tell, this bill doesn't necessarily protect people from discrimination based on having genetic conditions, it protects them from discrimination based on the knowledge that they carry certain genes.

For instance, if someone were to find a gene that predisposed someone toward being trans (which may or may not ever happen), employers and insurers would be barred from demanding that their employees/clients be screened for that gene. Or, if someone had already been screened, their employers and insurers couldn't discriminate against them based on the test results. In order to prevent that discrimination, genetic test results will probably become part of your private medical record, since no one can discriminate against someone for something they didn't know. But if you were to go to your boss and say, 'hey, I'm going to transition' they could potentially still fire you. In an at-will employment state, they wouldn't even have to give a reason.

Unless I'm reading it wrong, which is possible.