Saturday, November 1, 2014

Concerns On Genetic Testing


Full Article Here
More and more Americans are getting their DNA sequenced since the cost as plummeted in the last decade from one million dollars to about a thousand or less. DNA sequencing companies range from 23andMe that will sequence your DNA for only $99 to allow you to track your family, to Gene Dx that will test for serious and rare heredity disorders. However there are growing concerns that if you are found to have "bad genes" you may be denied coverage form life insurance companies or be forced to pay higher fees than people who don't. As of now there is at least one insurance company, the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, that asks about genetic testing and will deny coverage if a person refuses to share the results of theirs.

While insurance companies seeking medical records can access genetic testing results, employers can not. Some doctors are beginning to wonder if it will become necessary to keep genetic testing results in separate files to keep the information private. Even if this was implemented there are still concerns on being penalized for keeping the information to yourself. Others are worried that insurance companies will begin to run their own tests on samples they obtain, and as of now only New Mexico requires that a patient be informed the tests are being done.

As technology and genetic testing advances it is natural for people to fear for their privacy. Already we've seen science fictions works such as the movie Gattaca (1997) and the book Next by Micheal Crighton that have addressed these concerns by outlining a world in which genetic testing is common and the norm. Every day we seem to becoming closer and closer to what was science fiction only a decade ago. If I were to ever get my DNA sequenced I personally would want the option of keeping that information private regardless of the results and i would most certainly want my privacy protected by laws that would require that I be informed and my permission required for any genetic testing to be done.

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