Findings on Life Science Detailed by Investigators at University of Tasmania (Genetic Testing and Insurance In Australia)

2019 JUN 04 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Life Science have been published. According to news reporting originating in Hobart, Australia, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Genetic testing offers great benefit for the diagnosis of genetic conditions and to identify and manage risk for conditions such as familial breast cancer. However, potential personal insurance implications exist for some patients who undergo genetic testing in Australia.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Tasmania, “Currently, insurance companies offering risk-rated products such as life insurance can use genetic test results to discriminate, which may adversely affect applicants’ ability to secure a policy. Many comparable countries have banned or restricted life insurers’ use of genetic results, while Australia still permits it. However, the industry proposes to introduce a moratorium limiting the use of genetic results for life insurance underwriting in mid-2019. This paper explores the implications of genetic testing for risk-rated insurance for the general practice workforce in Australia. Advancements in technology and decreasing costs have resulted in rapid expansion in genetic/genomic testing, which is set to become part of mainstream healthcare.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “General practitioners (GPs) in Australia will have an increasingly significant part to play in the expanded use of this testing, and it is therefore important that GPs are aware of these issues.”

For more information on this research see: Genetic Testing and Insurance In Australia. Australian Journal of General Practice, 2019;48(3):96-99. Australian Journal of General Practice can be contacted at: Royal Australian College General Practitioners, 1 Palmerston Crescent, South Melbourne, Victoria 3205, Australia.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting M. Otlowski, University of Tasmania, Faculty of Law, Ctr Law & Genet, Hobart, Tas, Australia. Additional authors for this research include J. Tiller, P. Lacaze and K. Barlow-Stewart.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)