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I wonder if charities couldn't offer it as an incentive to attract more potential donors? Agree to participate, and we'll give you your sequence upfront, no dat
by blacksmith_tb 5y ago
I wonder if charities couldn't offer it as an incentive to attract more potential donors? Agree to participate, and we'll give you your sequence upfront, no data-release-requests needed? Obviously some people are trying hard not to be sequenced for any reason (because of privacy concerns apparently) but plenty of other people are interested in heredity, or health implications.
- ineedasername 5y agoI'm assuming the charities get a better rate, but typical home kits cost about $200... Not cheap to give out for free even if they get a 75% bulk discount. They're also not likely to get money from people like this who were deliberately working the system to avoid paying. Not only that, but insurance will often cover services like GeneSight that do this specifically as a health service.
- blacksmith_tb 5y agoSure, though here in the US I would bet most insurers would require a physician to order the test for it to be covered? Which presumably would happen only if they thought it'd be useful for diagnosing something, rather than that you were curious (esp. if your curiosity was about your heritage and not something clearly medical).
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- ineedasername 5y agoYep, a physician has to order the test, but considering they are extremely useful in preventative medicine most people I know that have had it done didn't have any issue getting a doctor to order one.
- renewiltord 5y agoIf you don’t ask them for the info, they still pay the same rate. You’re only asking them for data they already have on you. And you’re still on the donor list. The difference between you and someone who doesn’t request is minuscule. An automated process sends someone a PDF. The world isn’t going to collapse under that weight.