This past week I learned about a law passed by a unanimous senate and nearly unanimous house of representatives in 2008 called The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act or GINA that protects Americans against discrimination based on their genetic information when it comes to health insurance and employment.

GINA prevents health insurers from obtaining and/or using genetic information for  coverage, rates or pre-existing conditions.  For employers, genetic information can’t be used for hiring, firing or promotion decisions nor terms of employment.

The specifics of the law were fully enacted in May 2010 and include protections of genetic information up to 4th-degree relatives or prenatal genetic testing.  GINA does not have protections for routine testing such as cholesterol testing.

It does not include provisions for life insurance, disability insurance or long-term insurance.  The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act applies to companies with more than 15 employees. It does NOT prohibit health insurers from using genetic health test results in making insurance payment determinations.

For more information about the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendations on genetic testing, read here.

To learn more check out www.genome.gov/24519851