Genetic Testing and Insurance

¶ … Genetic Testing and Insurance. Specifically, it will contain an analysis and key points of the article. This article discusses whether it is morally and ethically right to use genetic testing to deny health and/or life insurance to certain individuals who might have a genetic predetermination for a specific disease.

One key point is whether insurance companies should be allowed to use genetic testing to determine eligibility for insurance and/or to set premiums. Many states have already banned this process, because they feel it is unfair to use these types of tests to deny insurance when insurance is supposed to protect the individual if they suffer from health issues, whether they are genetic or not. In addition, this type of testing is very costly to the insurance companies, and there are only tests for a few, specific diseases, so they cannot pinpoint all the health risks anyone faces. Most insurance companies also recognize that many factors contribute to disease and illness, not just genetics, and so, they can set their rates based on other guidelines, rather than genetic testing. Health insurance is important for every individual, and to deny coverage for specific genetic traits is essentially singling out individuals based on what might occur in the future, leaving an entire segment of the population uninsurable, and adding dramatically to healthcare costs when and if they do become ill. This is a kind of discrimination that should not occur in this country at any time.

Another key point is the privacy of individuals, discrimination, and ethics as related to protecting access to health insurance. The Principle of Utmost Good Faith ensures that both parties involved in a contract will act in good faith and provide the services the contract states, regardless of the condition of the parties. That means that the holder of an insurance policy should expect payment as long as they meet the conditions in the policy, regardless of what might occur in the future. In addition, parties to an insurance contract are held to a higher standard of honesty than parties to a non-insurance contact. If an individual is willing to pay for an insurance contract, thereby lowering their risk if they fall ill, is it ethical or a breach of contract for that party to be denied because of genetics? It is unethical, because everyone should have access to health and life insurance, that is the purpose of the insurance, and why insurance companies offer insurance policies in the first place. They offer peace of mind to the individual, and they make money when the individual does not use the policy. Individuals may not know their family's health history, and they may not want to know if they are genetically predestined for certain diseases. If they are forced to have genetic testing, it is a violation of their rights and their privacy, and it is ethically wrong to deny them coverage based on what "might" happen in the future, as well.