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Congressman Young Votes to Ensure Fairness
Washington, D.C.,
Apr 26, 2007 -
Congressman for All Alaska Don Young voted today in favor of H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007. H.R. 493 seeks to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment. This legislation would bar insurers and employers from using an individual’s genetic information. Insurers would be banned from either denying coverage to a healthy individual or charging them higher premiums based on a genetic predisposition to a future disease. Employers would be prohibited from using that same information when making hiring, firing, job placement, or promotion decisions.
“This legislation is an important step in ensuring fairness in insurance guidelines as well as further strengthening medical privacy and confidentiality rules,†Congressman Young said. “It also further emphasizes our need for fairness and equality in the workplace. Discrimination based on gender or race is not tolerated and those are genetic predispositions. Why should we not include health issues in that group? Discrimination in all of its forms should be not be tolerated; discrimination over something for which one has no control is inexcusable. A predisposition to something only insinuates you may have a higher probability and nothing more. This legislation is long overdue, and I am pleased to vote in favor of it.â€
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