"Genetic Discrimination" Very Real Among Health Insurers

According to a recent study released by The American Journal Of Medical Genetics, there is a lack of equality among Chronic Diseases. And while of course this is not based on race, the study found that it is based on genetics. In the study it was found that while it can be difficult for anyone suffering form any kind of chronic condition to obtain or maintain affordable health insurance - it is almost twice as difficult for those suffering form certain genetic disorders to get such medical coverage.

In the survey it was found that people with diseases with a known genetic component such as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis, were almost twice as likely to be denied health insurance or offered health insurance policies that were prohibitively expensive, then those suffering form equally chronic, but non-genetic conditions, such as diabetes or HIV. The theory being we suppose, that a person suffering form a genetic condition, is likely to have an offspring that also has the condition who will also be covered under the insurance policy, and therefore require additional payout for healthcare.

Dr. Nancy Kass with Johns Hopkins Berman Institute, one of the authors of the study said "as we spoke to family after family in the study, it became clear that people with all types of medical conditions are quite worried about access to health insurance and they make life changes in order to preserve their access to insurance. People with genetic conditions may face additional challenges, and that is worth further examination."

In addition almost 25% of those in the study with a genetic disorder said that they found that their coverage was limited. This compares with less than 15% of those with non-genetic chronic conditions who expressed a similar opinion. Interestingly enough almost 90% of those in the study said they had health insurance only because they or their spouse were currently working at a job that provided health benefits. This puts those suffering from such genetic conditions on a very precarious precipice. They feel they are unable to leave their jobs for fear of losing benefits and then being unable to obtain them again, and they also live under the constant threat of losing their health benefits as more and more companies cut or eliminate benefits to save money. Add to that the fact that their coverage is often less then those suffering form other chronic conditions and this hardly provides those with genetic conditions the piece of mind that having medical coverage is supposed to provide. Or as Dr. Kass puts it, for those with the genetic conditions in her study. "It's like walking around on a sunny day with an umbrella, and then as soon as it starts to rain, you open it to find that it's full of holes".