Sen. Coburn Should Lift Hold On Genetic Discrimination Bill, Editorial Says

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) "should lift his hold" on a bill (HR 493), sponsored by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), that would prohibit health insurers or employers from accessing the genetic information of patients or employees and considering it for hiring, firing and other business decisions, a Boston Globe editorial says (Boston Globe, 5/2). The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Jan. 31 approved a similar bill (S 358), sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Snowe has said she introduced the legislation, called the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007, because some women have said they were reluctant to be tested for genetic alterations that indicate increased risk of developing breast cancer because they feared difficulty in acquiring health insurance if they tested positive (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 4/27).

According to the Globe, Coburn objected to legislation that passed the Senate HELP Committee because he said it contained an exception allowing discrimination based on genetic information from embryos and fetuses. However, the House-approved measure "contains language closing that loophole" and gives Coburn "what he want[s]," the editorial says. The "importance" of the legislation "will only grow as technology evolves," the editorial says, adding that Coburn should "let the Senate get on with passing" it (Boston Globe, 5/2).

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