Balancing rights and responsibilities in insurers’ access to genetic test results
By a
At the annual conference of the
"Such a study is necessary in order to appreciate the effectiveness and potential downsides of different policy options," says
In
In
Of the three countries studied, the
"The two-tiered
However, discussions with insurers in
However, a major question remains. Are genetic test results relevant to insurance underwriting? "While genetic testing may promise to reduce risk, it is important to keep in mind that most genetic information can be affected by so many other factors. These include the environment, the likelihood of developing symptoms if someone has a genetic mutation (called the penetrance), the variation in signs and symptoms that can occur among people with the same condition, and how easy it is to minimise risks in individuals."
"Where there are tests for highly penetrant conditions, it is relatively easy to predict outcomes, but these conditions affect only a very small percentage of the population. It is therefore unsurprising that there is active debate about how loss of access to genetic test results would really affect the economic viability of the insurance industry,"
Chair of the ESHG conference, Professor
Keywords for this news article include: Risk and Prevention,
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