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House Republicans would let employers demand workers’ genetic test results
A bill that passed its first hurdle yesterday in Congress threatens to take away genetic privacy protections put in place with the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008. H.R.1313, the “Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act,” might instead be called the “telling on relatives” ruling.
According to GINA, employers can’t use genetic information to hire, fire, or promote an employee, or require genetic testing, and health insurers can’t require genetic tests nor use results to deny coverage. The law clearly defines genetic tests – DNA, RNA, chromosomes, proteins, metabolites – and genetic information –genetic test results and family history of a genetic condition.
Nancy J. Cox, PhD, ASHG [wikipedia.org] president, in a letter to the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, provides a frightening overview:
Human Chromosomes“If enacted, this legislation would undermine fundamentally the privacy provisions of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It would allow employers to ask employees invasive questions about their and their families’ health, as well as genetic tests they and their families have undergone. It would further allow employers to impose stiff financial penalties on employees who choose to keep such information private, thus empowering employers to coerce their employees into providing their health and genetic information.”
http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience/2017/03/09/saving-gina-is-genetic-privacy-imperiled/
