The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act Of 2008 or GINA, which was signed into law on May 21st, 2008 and is considered by employment experts to be the most aggressive anti-discrimination legislation since the Americans with Disabilities Act, takes effect today.
This act prohibits the use of certain health information to discriminate against workers with regards to employment or healthcare coverage. In other words, employers are now prohibited from asking employees or job candidates to take genetic tests or to provide their family medical histories. In addition, insurers are barred from using the same health information to determine how much workers pay for coverage.
GINA was supported by privacy-rights advocates, who were concerned that results of genetic tests could be misused by employers and insurers. Advocates feared that employees identified with a propensity for hereditary diseases could face more expensive health care, insurance-coverage denials, or even losing their jobs altogether.
All employers with 15 or more employees are required to comply with the GINA.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Readers also enjoyed:
