Relating to the use of genetic information provided to an insurer that offers health insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, or long-term care insurance

This bill relates to genetic information provided to an insurer that offers health insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, and long-term care insurance. “Insurer”, “disability insurance”, “life insurance”, and “long-term care insurance” are defined in the bill. Under current law, with respect to health insurance, a third-party administrator or health insurer shall not release genetic information pertaining to an individual without the prior written authorization of the individual, and such written authorization shall be required for each disclosure and shall include the person to whom the disclosure is being made. The bill expands the release of genetic information by an insurer with respect to health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance. Current law prohibits a health insurer, with respect to health insurance, from discriminating against an individual or a member of the individual’s family on the basis of genetic information or genetic testing. The bill prohibits the same discrimination for life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term care insurance. Under current law, a health insurer is not required to provide particular benefits, but shall not consider a genetic propensity, susceptibility, or carrier status as a preexisting condition for the purposes of health insurance. Under the bill, the same applies to life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term care insurance. Current law prohibits a health insurer from using genetic information or genetic testing for underwriting health insurance in individual and group markets. The same prohibition applies to an insurer of life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance.