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0 pointsstanmancan6y ago0 comments

My concern in these services is, at what point in the future does your DNA get weaponized against you? When do you get declined for health insurance, or have jacked up premiums, because the insurance company bought a report from 23andMe that says you have a predisposition to expensive disease?

My DNA isn't a secret, but I don't yet feel comfortable voluntarily handing it over to be indexed by a for profit company that has little to no regulation over what they can do with it.

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9 comments · 3 top-level

toomuchtodo6y ago· 6 in thread

> When do you get declined for health insurance, or have jacked up premiums, because the insurance company bought a report from 23andMe that says you have a predisposition to expensive disease?

US federal law prohibits this [1].

[1] https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/testing/discrimination

awb6y ago

Now it does, but it might not be this way in the future. Health insurance companies fought tooth and nail about covering pre-existing conditions. This is just going 1-step prior.

They could easily frame this as "hey 80% of the population who are pretty healthy -- do you like paying extra high rates for this small population of people with a predisposition for really rare, complicated diseases? if we drop this unfair law we could lower your rates by X%".

Not saying it's right or ethical, but that I wouldn't be shocked if healthcare started lobbying hard to get this tweaked.

wahern6y ago

Laws against murder can change, too. So what?

The interesting thing about modern genetics is that it turns out everybody has some elevated risk for some disease or condition, which means the vast majority of people have an interest in prohibiting genetic discrimination.

switz6y ago

This might be considered a low quality comment, but I do think it's important to remember (and repeat): laws can change

toomuchtodo6y ago

Democracy requires constant vigilance.

stanmancanOP6y ago

The specific insurance example was just a theoretical example. I'm less concerned about someone trying to kill me, there are much easier ways to do that without targeting me based on my DNA!

krageon6y ago

Laws are purely a technicality. Especially with the US lobbying situation being the way it is, I don't think it's reasonable for anyone to expect that some bad thing heavily incentivised for won't happen just because it's not allowed now.

efsavage6y ago

I think you mean "at what point in the future does your DNA get weaponized against everyone you're related to?"

I have not done these services because while I would be comfortable accepting the consequences in my remaining years, I have no idea what that would mean downstream for my living relatives, especially my son.

ab_testing6y ago

Well the companies don't need your DNA to decline you health insurance. If that condition appears and you go to the doctor to get it treated, the companies will cover it your first year but then raise your rates so high that you will be forced to find other companies.

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