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Insurance Companies Are Just Really Concerned About Patients

Jan 17, 2008

Business Week found a couple of people to debate whether health insurance companies should have to reimburse patients for genetic tests. Philip Reilly from Interleukin Genetics says they should, arguing that patients have a right to know whether they're at risk for various diseases. "Living to your fullest means pursuing a healthful life style, which you can do, and managing your genetic risks, which you can do only if you have been tested," he writes.

Meanwhile, Greg Fish stands in to take the negative view, contending that "genetic testing is hardly as definitive as often assumed, making it difficult to use for preventative medicine." He adds that the fear of genetic discrimination also looms large for insurers, who "worry that companies ... may decide not to cover employees based on results of genetic tests."

 

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