Parliamentary hearings begin in Ottawa which could have huge impact on insurance industry
The debate over genetic discrimination has finally arrived in parliament, and the opening days suggest there are some fierce disagreements to come.
The official beginning of the debate in Ottawa was marked by a serious clash over the issue of genetic privacy, and, in particular, the need that the insurance industry has for personal medical data in order to calculate risk.
On one half of the debate, some argue that humans should be allowed to investigate genetics, while others believe there should be limits placed on the knowledge and discoveries that can be made with its rapid commercialisation. The Senate’s Human Rights Committee listened to evidence that while genetics can offer tremendous potential healing it could also lead to some serious discrimination against those who are found to have the potential to develop certain diseases.
“Fear of genetic discrimination is stopping many Canadians from having genetic testing that their doctors believe would benefit them,” commented Senator James Cowan. “In Canada, unlike most other western countries, there is no protection for this.”
If introduced, the bill would prevent health and life insurance providers from requiring individuals to undergo genetic testing as a part of their business. It would also ban the requirement of a person to reveal the results of genetic testing and prevent any penalizations of those who will not take the test. It would also add genetic discriminations to the list of prohibitions within the Canada Labour Code.
According to Bev Heim-Myers, from the Canadian Coalition for Genetic Fairness, the insurance industry is placing too much emphasis on genetic testing results. She told the committee that the insurance industry looks at results and says “this disease is going to happen” – even though it might or might not.
The bill itself does not directly mention insurance: however, a number of insurance executives are going to speak to the committee as they believe it will unfairly blind them from the risks that they are covering.
Jacques Y Boudreau from the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association commented that it is “essential” for the insurance industry to have equal access to information. He compared it to a home being subject to inspection before house insurance is given out, or a driver being asked to disclose any previous collisions before being given car insurance.
What are your thoughts on genetic discrimination and the insurance industry? Do insurers have a right to know the results of genetic testing and judge accordingly? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
The official beginning of the debate in Ottawa was marked by a serious clash over the issue of genetic privacy, and, in particular, the need that the insurance industry has for personal medical data in order to calculate risk.
On one half of the debate, some argue that humans should be allowed to investigate genetics, while others believe there should be limits placed on the knowledge and discoveries that can be made with its rapid commercialisation. The Senate’s Human Rights Committee listened to evidence that while genetics can offer tremendous potential healing it could also lead to some serious discrimination against those who are found to have the potential to develop certain diseases.
“Fear of genetic discrimination is stopping many Canadians from having genetic testing that their doctors believe would benefit them,” commented Senator James Cowan. “In Canada, unlike most other western countries, there is no protection for this.”
If introduced, the bill would prevent health and life insurance providers from requiring individuals to undergo genetic testing as a part of their business. It would also ban the requirement of a person to reveal the results of genetic testing and prevent any penalizations of those who will not take the test. It would also add genetic discriminations to the list of prohibitions within the Canada Labour Code.
According to Bev Heim-Myers, from the Canadian Coalition for Genetic Fairness, the insurance industry is placing too much emphasis on genetic testing results. She told the committee that the insurance industry looks at results and says “this disease is going to happen” – even though it might or might not.
The bill itself does not directly mention insurance: however, a number of insurance executives are going to speak to the committee as they believe it will unfairly blind them from the risks that they are covering.
Jacques Y Boudreau from the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association commented that it is “essential” for the insurance industry to have equal access to information. He compared it to a home being subject to inspection before house insurance is given out, or a driver being asked to disclose any previous collisions before being given car insurance.
What are your thoughts on genetic discrimination and the insurance industry? Do insurers have a right to know the results of genetic testing and judge accordingly? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
