The Promise of Personalized Medicine

It took 13 years for the U.S. government to pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, or GINA.

While scientists worked feverishly, and still do, to unlock the secrets of the human genetic code, our lawmakers debated and argued and stood stock still on one issue standing in the way of bringing science to the people.  

The thing is — your genetic information might not hold good news. And there was no guarantee that, if you got a DNA test to get ahead of the problem, your insurance company wouldn’t classify any genetic abnormality as a “pre-existing condition.” In other words, you were going to get sick regardless, so they don’t have to pay for the treatment.

Kind of makes the idea of insurance useless, right? I mean, I don’t want to get sick, but I have medical insurance because I probably will at some point. But what’s the use of insurance if it won’t pay when you do get sick?

That’s where GINA comes in. It says that health insurers and employers cannot discriminate against Americans based on genetic information. The bill had passed the Senate unanimously and the House by a vote of 414 to 1.

Now I know I haven’t been wild about the current practical applications of available online DNA tests, but after talking to OMRF President Stephen Prescott, I know that the near future could hold much more promise. Personalized medicine — in which doctors look at your DNA and not only predict your future illnesses, but find which treatments are proven to work on those with your SNPs — could be here within our lifetimes.

The question I have, of course, is if people will take advantage of that personalized medicine. Let’s not forget how many of our nation’s medical epidemics are spurred on by people who avoid regular medical check ups for personal and financial reasons.