AMA welcomes ban on use of genetic tests to refuse insurance cover

This week we welcomed the government's announcement that it would introduce legislation to ban the use of adverse genetic test results in life insurance underwriting, effectively ending the industry’s ability to discriminate against consumers based on genetic testing.

AMA President Professor Steve Robson congratulated the Australian Government on its announcement that insurers would not be able to discriminate against people by using their genetic testing results to refuse cover because they find a likelihood of an inherited disease.

“Genetic testing and genomic research have the capacity to rapidly transform health care in Australia by identifying a need for potentially life-saving treatment,” Professor Robson said.

Professor Robson was quoted in the Age saying it was “fantastic news” for Australians, who would now be able to access potentially life-saving medical testing.

The move follows AMA advocacy on the issue including a submission to a Treasury Consultation Paper in February this year and a press conference at Parliament House with the AMA President, organised by Senator David Pocock and MP Kylea Tink. The AMA also wrote to the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers as part of a joint stakeholder group campaign urging the Australian Government to implement a total legislative ban on the use of genetic results in insurance underwriting without limits or exclusions.  

Professor Robson discussed the issue at length with Dr Jane Tiller, Project lead of the Australian Genetics and Life Insurance Moratorium: Monitoring the Effectiveness and Response (A-GLIMMER) project, on his Doctorama podcastearlier this year.