WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate is poised to pass legislation that would forbid insurance companies and employers from genetic discrimination, a report said Friday.
The legislation, which has support from the White House, would prohibit insurers from raising premiums or denying coverage based on the results of genetic tests and make it illegal for insurers to require such tests.
The Wall Street Journal said it also would bar employers, employment agencies and labor unions from using genetic information to make hiring or compensation decisions, and would permit genetic testing only to monitor the impact of potential workplace hazards.
The outlook in the House, where a non-discrimination bill is pending, is much less clear, and the Republican House leadership has shown little interest in the bill.
Supporters and critics of legislation both point to the same case to bolster their arguments: an out-of-court settlement last year between railroad workers and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., which allegedly secretly tested the employees for a genetic propensity toward carpal tunnel syndrome.
