Employers could impose hefty penalties on employees who decline to participate in genetic testing as part of workplace wellness programs if a bill approved by a House committee this week becomes law.
Employers, in general, don’t have that power under existing federal laws that protect genetic privacy and nondiscrimination. But a bill passed Wednesday by a House committee would allow employers to get around that if the information is collected as part of workplace wellness programs.
Workplace wellness programs — which offer workers a variety of carrots and sticks to monitor and improve their health, such as lowering cholesterol — have become increasingly popular among companies. Some offer discounts on health insurance to employees who complete health-risk assessments. Others might charge people more for smoking.
Under the Affordable Care Act, employers are allowed to discount health insurance premiums by up to 30 percent — and in some cases 50 percent — for employees who voluntarily participate in a wellness program.
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5 comments:
See the movie Gattica with Ethan Hawke. Movie was way ahead of its time. In the near future, discrimination will be based on your DNA and not race. With DNA kits you can buy now, the future is here. My son has a mild form of Autism, which does't prevent him from working in his career, but he has been denied jobs and educational opportunities when they find out.
Severely misguided. Not everyone with "high" cholesterol dies of heart disease. That is another myth propagated by big pharma.
As a nurse in another state with hospital insurance we are already subject to the flu shot demands and cholesterol screening. It changes nothing other than justification for higher premiums
Another excuse and opportunity for Big Brother to build his DNA database on all of us.
Just so you know, they have viruses they can program to attack certain people with certain DNA... Before you run your mouth, just think we told you about the spying and you refused to believe that too, yet it is happening as we speak... Also, what is stopping someone from committing a crime and planting your DNA at the crime scene... OH no, the govt won't abuse its power, oh no the govt will never put any innocent person in jail...
They use this testing to look for anything caused by alcohol or smoking so they can charge you more and/or deny you expensive treatment.
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