Lawmakers in Florida have approved a bill that would bar life, disability, and long-term care insurers from using genetic information in coverage decisions, Florida Politics reports. It adds that the bill is now heading to Governor Ron DeSantis' desk.
Chris Sprowls, the Republican speaker-designate of the Florida House of Representatives, introduced the measure earlier this year. While federal law prohibits health insurance companies from using genetic information in policy coverage decisions, Sprowls said at the time, according to the Orlando Sentinel, that his proposed law would close a "massive loophole" by extending that prohibition to additional insurers.
His bill quickly moved forward, though News4Jax notes that the Florida Senate added an amendment to it that would allow insurers to consider diagnoses that are included in people's medical records, even if those diagnoses stem from genetic testing results. FlaPol adds that the bill with this amendment has been passed by both houses and, if it becomes law, would make Florida the first state to prohibit life, disability, and long-term care insurers from using genetic data.