Genetic privacy, discrimination, and the US Congress

Advances in genetics research have fueled public debate over the use of genetic information about individuals and families by health insurers. Fears of discrimination based on one's genetic inheritance have prompted various private and public sector groups to press for restrictions on access to and use of genetic information in health insurance decisions. As a result, the U.S. Congress has considered several pieces of legislation that would impose such restrictions. This paper discusses the merging of several factors that are responsible for placing and maintaining this issue on the congressional policy agenda.