Could DNA testing cost you your life insurance?

KERA's Think

KERA

Society & Culture, 071003, Kera, Think, Krysboyd

4.8 • 861 Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2024

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Genetic tests can help predict future health risks or just be a fun way to learn about your ancestry – but is that information just for you? Kristen V. Brown, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss giant loopholes in anti-discrimination laws that might allow disability and long-term care providers to exploit genetic testing results — even if a person never gets sick — and what that means for those told by a physician they should get tested. Her article is “Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	When scientists were first working on mapping the human genome, many believe there might
0:10.1	be single gene explanations for a lot of the diseases not caused by germs.
0:15.6	While a small handful of mutations have been discovered in which a single mutated gene means
0:20.4	a person does or will
0:21.8	have a particular illness. In most cases, having a genetic risk for a given disease does
0:26.7	not mean a person will definitely get sick. But it might mean that person will definitely
0:32.0	be turned down for life or long-term care or disability insurance. From KERA in Dallas, this is think.
0:40.0	I'm Chris Boyd.
0:41.6	You might be thinking, wait, didn't the federal government pass a law back in 2008 to protect
0:46.5	us from this sort of thing?
0:48.2	The answer is yes, but while a health insurance company can't refuse to cover you based
0:53.4	on some revelation from DNA testing,
0:55.9	there are some giant loopholes in that law that other kinds of insurers can skate right through.
1:01.3	And it's not just testing ordered by a doctor.
1:03.8	These companies can also ask about revelations from consumer-grade DNA testing that millions of Americans have signed up for just out of curiosity about
1:11.5	their bodies or their ancestry. Kristen V. Brown is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where you can
1:16.9	find her article, Genetic Discrimination is coming for us all. Kristen, welcome to think.
1:23.0	Hi, thanks for having me. So you introduce us here to a healthy, active 60-year-old guy who has a family history of ALS.
1:32.6	What made him decide to have a DNA test?
1:35.3	Yes, Bill.
1:37.3	Bill decided to have a DNA test because, you know, when he was catching up with his brother
1:42.7	one day about four years ago, his brother
	...

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