Life insurance companies will be banned from discriminating against people based on genetic testing under federal government moves designed to encourage greater use of predictive technology in preventive health.
The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, will announce on Wednesday that life insurers will be banned from using predictive genetic testing results in their underwriting assessments.
“This change will give Australians the confidence to undertake genetic testing without fear it will impact their ability to access financial security through life insurance,” Jones said in comments provided before the formal announcement.
Wow, I had just assumed that life insurance was included in all of the genetic discrimination laws that were passed after the Human Genome Project got underway. It looks like Australia was ahead of the curve by passing legislation in 1992 (for comparison, the US passed GINA in 2008), but it’s very odd to me that both of those laws excluded life insurance. I understand that insurance companies need to be able to mitigate risk, but it’s a huge “fuck you” to anyone born with risky genes. It might result in slightly higher premiums for everyone, but it’s a good move imo.