Genomics and Universal Healthcare

If the US enters the genomics-based medicine age without universal healthcare, Jeremy Grushcow at The Cross-Border Biotech Blog says that "it will exacerbate existing inequalities and create new ones we haven't even imagined." As an example, Grushcow draws on new guidance from the UK's General Medical Council that says if a patient is found to have a genetic disease, then doctors must inform relatives of their risk. Grushcow says that such notification is only possible with universal coverage. "People with genetic diseases can be informed of their risk because they won't lose their insurance or be forced into a high-risk high-cost pool as a result," he writes.