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This surprised me when I first heard it: George Bush (junior) signed a law barring insurance companies from using DNA data for health insurance pricing etc. I

This surprised me when I first heard it: George Bush (junior) signed a law barring insurance companies from using DNA data for health insurance pricing etc. I was surprised by this b/c my assumption was that insurance companies would want that and Republicans would push for it. The law passed 95-0 in the Senate though so this seems like, along with robocalls, something everyone is opposed to. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_Information_Nondiscrimination_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_Information_Nondiscrim...

ellisv 3y ago
This correct but really applies only to health insurance. Other forms of insurance, such as life or disability, can deny you coverage based on having had genetic testing.
bequanna 3y ago
> I was surprised by this b/c my assumption was that insurance companies would want that and Republicans would push for it. The traditional view of Republicans being pro big business and Democrats fighting for the little guy don’t seem at all accurate in this day.
- LeafItAlone 3y ago
  > in this day In the day of George W Bush, when this was passed?
- slaw 3y ago
  I always thought Republicans are pro big business and Democrats are pro mega corps.
- autoexec 3y ago
  I think that still holds true for the most part, except that Democrats are also very much pro big business. The businesses they support aren't always the same though. Democrats are a lot more friendly to the entertainment industry than the fossil fuel industry for example.
ramraj07 3y ago
Yeah I don't see how this is going to be enforced. I think it's safe to say, unless you go to extraordinary lengths to ensure your genome data is safe, don't get it sequenced. A genome is forever. Like way beyond your own life. Your entire lineage and extended familys lineage.
- kube-system 3y ago
  It's enforced by insurance, employment, and health regulators with fines. The insurance industry as a whole is relatively familiar with the law, but some employers at large are less familiar and find themselves on the wrong end of enforcement actions with EEOC: https://www.eeoc.gov/data/genetic-information-non-discrimination-act-charges-charges-filed-eeoc-includes-concurrent https://www.eeoc.gov/data/genetic-information-non-discrimina...
- dekhn 3y ago
  https://xkcd.com/1494/ https://xkcd.com/1494/ Here's my genome: https://my.pgp-hms.org/profile/hu80855C https://my.pgp-hms.org/profile/hu80855C Let me know if you can actually find anything interesting- the last time it was analyzed the genetic counsellors said I had no known genetic risks.
  - ramraj07 3y ago
    Of course we are not ready yet to read the genome as if we know everything, but that's just a matter of time. You can't predict the environmental component of course but that still leaves 30-70% of every trait you have or will have be predictable. For perpetuity. And not just you, but your kids as well? What are the odds they'll not be living in a totalitarian state where it's perfectly okay to persecute them based on their genetics? Why would i put them at a disadvantage potentially by already publicizing half their genome?
    - dekhn 3y ago
      I mean, if my kids live in a totalitarian state, I am sure I have bigger problems than the state abusing my genome to persecute my children.
autoexec 3y ago
Good to remind people that this law won't protect you from being discriminated against when it comes to life, disability, or long-term care insurance. It also didn't keep health insurers from discriminating against you for any genetic illnesses that you already had. It was just supposed to protect you in situations where your genes showed you were more likely to develop something. Today, discrimination due to preexisting conditions may be covered by other laws. Today pretty much every baby born has their DNA taken and that can end up being used by law enforcement, but adults can try to avoid giving their DNA to the government, drug makers, and data brokers by not using services like Ancestry.com and 23andMe.

ellisv 3y ago

This correct but really applies only to health insurance. Other forms of insurance, such as life or disability, can deny you coverage based on having had genetic testing.

bequanna 3y ago

> I was surprised by this b/c my assumption was that insurance companies would want that and Republicans would push for it. The traditional view of Republicans being pro big business and Democrats fighting for the little guy don’t seem at all accurate in this day.

LeafItAlone 3y ago
> in this day In the day of George W Bush, when this was passed?
slaw 3y ago
I always thought Republicans are pro big business and Democrats are pro mega corps.
autoexec 3y ago
I think that still holds true for the most part, except that Democrats are also very much pro big business. The businesses they support aren't always the same though. Democrats are a lot more friendly to the entertainment industry than the fossil fuel industry for example.

ramraj07 3y ago

Yeah I don't see how this is going to be enforced. I think it's safe to say, unless you go to extraordinary lengths to ensure your genome data is safe, don't get it sequenced. A genome is forever. Like way beyond your own life. Your entire lineage and extended familys lineage.

kube-system 3y ago
It's enforced by insurance, employment, and health regulators with fines. The insurance industry as a whole is relatively familiar with the law, but some employers at large are less familiar and find themselves on the wrong end of enforcement actions with EEOC: https://www.eeoc.gov/data/genetic-information-non-discrimination-act-charges-charges-filed-eeoc-includes-concurrent https://www.eeoc.gov/data/genetic-information-non-discrimina...
dekhn 3y ago
https://xkcd.com/1494/ https://xkcd.com/1494/ Here's my genome: https://my.pgp-hms.org/profile/hu80855C https://my.pgp-hms.org/profile/hu80855C Let me know if you can actually find anything interesting- the last time it was analyzed the genetic counsellors said I had no known genetic risks.
- ramraj07 3y ago
  Of course we are not ready yet to read the genome as if we know everything, but that's just a matter of time. You can't predict the environmental component of course but that still leaves 30-70% of every trait you have or will have be predictable. For perpetuity. And not just you, but your kids as well? What are the odds they'll not be living in a totalitarian state where it's perfectly okay to persecute them based on their genetics? Why would i put them at a disadvantage potentially by already publicizing half their genome?
  - dekhn 3y ago
    I mean, if my kids live in a totalitarian state, I am sure I have bigger problems than the state abusing my genome to persecute my children.

autoexec 3y ago

Good to remind people that this law won't protect you from being discriminated against when it comes to life, disability, or long-term care insurance. It also didn't keep health insurers from discriminating against you for any genetic illnesses that you already had. It was just supposed to protect you in situations where your genes showed you were more likely to develop something. Today, discrimination due to preexisting conditions may be covered by other laws. Today pretty much every baby born has their DNA taken and that can end up being used by law enforcement, but adults can try to avoid giving their DNA to the government, drug makers, and data brokers by not using services like Ancestry.com and 23andMe.