One major new technology soon to available everywhere is the gene chip, a computer-assisted testing device. When the gene chip is perfected and available, thousands of diseases and conditions will be able to be checked cheaply and quickly. Discrimination is claimed whenever the insurance companies use genetic information to deny coverage. If the insurance company provides coverage for someone whom they know will cost them money, they are going to go out of business. Discrimination is built into the system and simply because there are new tools for use by the system does not mean that discrimination has just started.
Discrimination is now more accurate, and done more quickly, to more people.
Now that companies have the technology to identify those genes, they can base decisions on accurate genetic information, instead of less accurate information. By citing a law that protects an individual's right to genetic privacy, a person can keep confidential the information that he or she is at high risk for heart disease, Huntington's disease, or any other debilitating or life-threatening condition, in order to be awarded coverage. If the person withholding information is married with children, his or her first concern is probably the economic stability of the family, and that person may actually increase insurance coverage. Another important area of concern is genetic counseling, and, especially who will pay for this counseling. At this time, prenatal counseling is often covered by insurance, because insurance companies figure that a couple will abort if there is a serious genetic defect in their unborn child, thus saving the company money in the long run.