Ban Sought on Bias Linked to Genetics

WASHINGTON — President Clinton offered legislation Monday to bar health insurance companies from discriminating against apparently healthy people on the basis of their genetic backgrounds.

Clinton said genetic testing is a miracle of science, one that poses the possibility of predicting and curing diseases, such as breast cancer. But, he said, millions of families fear that the results of genetic testing will cause them to lose the health insurance they need to battle disease and illness.

“Americans should never have to choose between saving their health insurance and taking a test that could save their life,” Clinton said during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Such discrimination “is a life-threatening abuse of a potentially live-saving discovery,” he said.

Clinton’s decision to push for heightened protection followed the recommendations of a task force report from Donna Shalala, secretary of Health and Human Services.

Expanding genetic research is giving doctors and scientists increasing ability to predict who will develop various inherited diseases.

The legislation to bar use of such information to deny health insurance is sponsored in the House by Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-N.Y.) and has more than 135 co-sponsors. An identical Senate bill has been introduced by Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine).