Two cheers for GINA?

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) was signed into US federal law on 21 May 2008 and will become effective within 12-18 months [1]. The first genetic nondiscrimination bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives in 1995. It took 13 years of lobbying from patient advocacy groups, researchers, medical professional organizations, and commercial interests to achieve bipartisan support for this type of legislation. Although many US states have laws that protect against genetic discrimination [2] and there are some limitations to the use of genetic information imposed on group health plans by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), advances in genetic research have created an urgency to the passage of more comprehensive federal legislation. For many, GINA "marks the beginning of a new era in health care" in which "[i]ndividuals no longer have to worry about being discriminated against on the basis of their genetic information" [3].GINA was designed to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment. Specifically, it prohibits group and individual health insurers from collecting and using a person's genetic information in determining eligibility and premiums, and it limits employers' ability to collect genetic information and prohibits them from using such information in making employment decisions such as hiring, firing, job assignments, or any other terms of employment [1]. Genetic information is defined broadly under GINA and includes information about genetic tests on individuals and their family members as well as information about family medical history (the manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members, including dependents and first, second, third, and fourth degree relatives). A genetic test refers to an analysis of human DNA, RNA, chromosomes, proteins, or metabolites that detects genotypes, mutations, or chr