GINA will be taking effect November 21 for businesses with 15 or more employees and December 7 for group insurance plans, this New York Times article reminds us. GINA bars employers from requesting that an employee undergo genetic testing and from considering an employee's genetic background when making hiring, firing or promotion decisions. Health insurance companies are also not allowed to use genetic information to deny coverage or to set rates. "There's an absolute ban on the use of genetic information to make any kind of decision about employment," says Christopher Kuczynski, assistant legal counsel with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.