FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/February 26, 1997 CONTACT: Sara Foer [202/651-7023] ANA Endorses Genetic Anti-discrimination BillWithout This Legislation, If It's in Your Genes It Could Be Used Against YouWASHINGTON, DC -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) today united with more than 30 other health care organizations in endorsing the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance Act of 1997 (HR 306/S89). ANA joined the sponsors of the legislation, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), in stressing the importance of protecting American consumers from being denied health care insurance coverage on the basis of genetic information. "It is a terrible irony that advances in research which could provide information crucial to disease prevention and wellness are instead inducing people to refuse to have tests and appropriate care because of fears of disclosure and discrimination," said ANA President Beverly L. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. "An emphasis on prevention and wellness is the hallmark of the nursing profession, and as patient advocates, nurses strongly support the effort to prohibit these discriminatory insurance practices." ANA is a strong proponent of comprehensive health care policy that increases appropriate access to health care for all Americans. This legislation would prevent insurance providers from using genetic information in inappropriate ways that ultimately defeat the risk-sharing purpose of insurance. Building on a provision of the Kassebaum-Kennedy health care reform bill enacted last year, this anti-discrimination bill would prohibit insurance providers from denying or canceling insurance coverage or varying the terms and conditions of health insurance coverage on the basis of genetic information. It would also prohibit insurance providers from requesting or requiring an individual to disclose genetic information and from disclosing genetic information without prior written consent. These safeguards are crucial to keep scientific advances from becoming cruelly and callously misapplied in our society.
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