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Getting the results of a genetic test can be a bit like opening Pandora's box. You might learn something useful or interesting, or you might learn that you're likely to develop an incurable disease later on in life.
There's a federal law that's supposed to protect people from having their own genes used against them, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, or GINA. Under GINA, it's illegal for an employer to fire someone based on his genes, and it's illegal for health insurers to raise rates or to deny coverage because of someone's genetic code.
But the law has a loophole: It only applies to health insurance. It doesn't say anything about companies that sell life insurance, disability insurance or long-term-care insurance.
"GINA was a fabulous accomplishment," says Robert Green, a researcher in the genetics department at Harvard Medical School. "It was long in coming and much needed. But I think that it was not perfect."
Green oversaw a study that examined how people react after they learn they have ApoE4, a gene associated with Alzheimer's. He found that...
There's a federal law that's supposed to protect people from having their own genes used against them, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, or GINA. Under GINA, it's illegal for an employer to fire someone based on his genes, and it's illegal for health insurers to raise rates or to deny coverage because of someone's genetic code.
But the law has a loophole: It only applies to health insurance. It doesn't say anything about companies that sell life insurance, disability insurance or long-term-care insurance.
"GINA was a fabulous accomplishment," says Robert Green, a researcher in the genetics department at Harvard Medical School. "It was long in coming and much needed. But I think that it was not perfect."
Green oversaw a study that examined how people react after they learn they have ApoE4, a gene associated with Alzheimer's. He found that...