Frist's articles are part of a four-part series on the Health Affairs Council on Health Care Spending and Value’s newly released report, "A Road Map for Action."
"My life shouldn’t be worth less than anyone else’s because of a mutation in my mother’s DNA," she writes.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prohibits health insurance companies from using genetic information to deny coverage or raise premiums and outlaws genetic discrimination by employers. However, the act offers no protection for those seeking life, long-term care, or disability insurance.
"In a future where many—maybe most—people will have access to predictive genetic information, how will life, long-term care, and disability insurance work?" Smith asks.
She advocates for more legal protections against genetic discrimination in insurance and "more nuanced mechanisms for protecting genetic information in the health care system," particularly "more clear guidance for how to use genetic information in
ways that align with a patient’s values."
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Elsewhere At Health Affairs
Elsewhere in Forefront, Arthur Kellermann argues that the military health system has lost so much capacity that it would struggle to manage a moderate-size conflict, much less a major war, and that decisive action is
needed.
Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Jennifer Kao from the UCLA Anderson School of Management on her paper in the March issue examining drug repurposing for COVID-19 treatments during the pandemic.
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