House Committee Approves Bill That Bans Discrimination Based On Genetics, Rejects Provision To Protect Fetuses

The House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday approved by voice vote a bill (HR 493), sponsored by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), that would prohibit health insurers or employers from accessing the genetic information of patients or employees and considering it for hiring, firing and other business decisions, the Wall Street Journal reports (Zhang, Wall Street Journal, 2/15). The committee also voted 27-20 to reject an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) that would have extended protections in the legislation to fetuses, according to CQ Today. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Jan. 31 approved a similar bill (S 358), sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) (Crowley, CQ Today, 2/14). Snowe has said she introduced the legislation, called the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007, because some women have said they were reluctant to be tested for genetic alterations that indicate increased risk of developing breast cancer because they feared difficulty in acquiring health insurance if they tested positive. Business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have lobbied against such measures, saying that federal law on the issue is not needed because state laws already provide protection against such discrimination (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/22). The House bill is expected to pass the full chamber and be voted on in the Senate within two weeks, according to the Journal. President Bush has indicated that he would sign the measure (Wall Street Journal, 2/15).

APM's "Marketplace Morning Report" on Thursday reported on the legislation. The segment includes comments from Slaughter (Niiler, "Marketplace Morning Report," 2/15). A transcript and audio of the segment are available online.

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