The British government is taking steps to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against people who have had genetic testing. Critics worry that insurers may use the tests, which can reveal who carries genes that increase disease risks, as an excuse to jack up policy prices or deny coverage to those carrying "bad genes."
Government officials announced last week that they will work with insurers over the next year to devise a scheme for reviewing test reliability and the fair use of results in policy pricing. The initiative, led by the government's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing, will also establish an appeals process for those who believe insurers have discriminated against them.
"People are waiting to see flesh on the bones of these proposals," says Martin Bobrow, a medical geneticist at the University of Cambridge. "A lot will depend on who is on the evaluating committee and how the appeals process works."
