Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
Prevents discrimination at place of work on the basis of genetic information. GINA
consists of two components: health insurance reform on the grounds of genetic information and
employment reform on the grounds of genetic information.
Genetic testing: May have advantages if there is a positive outcome for a gene mutation, or if
there is a negative outcome. Thus, people receive test results as a relief from uncertainty and use
them in order to make relevant decisions regarding their health care (Kurian et al., 2019).
Genetic counselors: Function as part of multidisciplinary health care teams, to assess, teach and
support those who are at risk or have been identified with various inherited disorders (Lenartz et
al., 2021). They also explain the results of the genetic tests, offer support to the patients, and act
as the patient’s advocate.
Genetic discrimination: Arises when someone is discriminated against by their employer or
insurer because he or she has a gene mutation that predisposes him or her to an inherited disease.
Genetic technology enhances the capacity to diagnose and avert health disorders, it may also be
used to prejudice and marginalize people (Biesecker, 2020).
Citizens of the United States remain cautious when it comes to embracing new
discoveries in genetics and seeking for genetic tests because they are afraid that this information
will be utilized not for the enhancement of their health, but for job and insurance discrimination
purposes.
Other laws may not often provide enough protection against genetic bias, even while
GINA is in place. For instance, businesses with less than 15 workers are not covered by GINA.
Further, GINA fails to defend policyholders from racial prejudice in the event that they purchase
non-health insurance contracts, including those for life, disabilities, or hospice care (Bélisle-
Pipon et al., 2019).
References:
Bélisle-Pipon, J. C., Vayena, E., Green, R. C., & Cohen, I. G. (2019). Genetic testing, insurance
discrimination and medical research: what the United States can learn from peer
countries. Nature medicine, 25(8), 1198-1204.
Biesecker, B. (2020). Genetic counseling and the central tenets of practice. Cold Spring Harbor
Perspectives in Medicine, 10(3), a038968.
Kurian, A. W., Ward, K. C., Howlader, N., Deapen, D., Hamilton, A. S., Mariotto, A., ... & Katz,
S. J. (2019). Genetic testing and results in a population-based cohort of breast cancer
patients and ovarian cancer patients. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 37(15), 1305-1315.
Lenartz, A., Scherer, A. M., Uhlmann, W. R., Suter, S. M., Hartley, C. A., & Prince, A. E.
(2021). The persistent lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of the Genetic
Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) more than a decade after passage. Genetics
in medicine, 23(12), 2324-2334.
