Legal and policy issues in genetics and insurance

Genetic screening and testing techniques provide a powerful diagnostic tool for the acquisition of predictive information. The potential value of such diagnostic techniques cannot be overstated. However, commercial organisations such as insurance companies and employers are also highly interested in the acquisition and use of genetic information. Concerns about the potential abuse of genetic information have stimulated a counter-current of public pressure for restrictions on the use which can be made of genetic diagnostic information. In a number of countries this pressure has generated enough concern to stimulate legislatures to enact laws which curtail the use and acquisition of genetic information. This pattern has clearly emerged in the United States of America and there are indications that similar trends are developing in Europe. This paper examines the law and policy issues arising from the interface between genetics and insurance.