To Think About
Genetic testing is making it
increasingly possible to identify people at risk of various medical
problems. If you are probably going to get cancer, or have a heart
attack, and the insurance company knows it, insurance will be very
expensive, so …
Some people propose that it be illegal for insurance companies to
require testing as a condition of insurance, or to make the terms on
which they offer insurance depend on test results.
What problems would that proposal raise? You may want to consider three different possibilities:
1. Nobody can be tested.
2. People can be tested, but insurance companies are not
permitted to require tests or make the rates they offer depend on test
results.
3. People can be tested, and the insurance company is free to take account of test results in setting rates.