U.S. President Bush on Wednesday signed legislation to protect people from losing their jobs or health insurance when genetic testing reveals they are susceptible to costly diseases, according to U.S. media reports Thursday.
The new law forbids employers and insurance companies from denying employment, promotions or health coverage to people when genetic tests show they have a predisposition to cancer, heart disease or other ailments.
People today have far more information about their hereditary disposition to crippling afflictions. Bill sponsors said that has increased the likelihood that insurers or employers might deny people work or insurance to avoid costly risks.
Genetic tests look for alterations in a person's genes, and abnormal results can mean that someone has an inherited disorder. The tests look for signs of a disease or disorder in DNA taken from a person's blood, body fluids or tissues.
Researchers have supported the bill because Americans have been refusing to take genetic tests or have been using false names and paying cash because they didn't want the information used against them by their employer or insurance company.
The new law prohibits health insurance companies from using genetic data to set premiums or determine enrollment eligibility.
Genetic testing can lead to early, lifesaving therapy for a wide range of diseases with hereditary links such as breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson's disease. Yet increasingly, people fear that the data gleaned from such tests will be used against them.
A 2001 study by the American Management Association showed that nearly two-thirds of major U.S. companies require medical examinations of new hires.
Each person probably has six or more genetic mutations that place them at risk for some disease, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Source: Xinhua/Agencies
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