Based on this report, the federal Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing, which will report to the HHS Secretary, was chartered in August 1998. In 1995, a set of recommendations to lawmakers dealing with issues pertaining to health insurance and genetic discrimination was compiled by the NIH-DOE Working Group on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Human Genome Research and the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer. Several active efforts are under way at the federal level to address these problems. The Patients' Bill of Rights Act, introduced by Republican members of the Senate in July 1998, would extend protection to those seeking individual insurance coverage by preventing the use of predictive genetic information to deny coverage. While the status of this legislation is uncertain, it is clear that patients need to be protected from potential genetic discrimination and stigmatization, in both the health insurance and employment arenas.
Genetic technologies are increasingly relevant to both the diagnosis and therapy of human disease.
If patients are to benefit from this knowledge, clinicians will need to incorporate genetic medicine into clinical practice much like any other aspect of the classic history and physical examination. Public interest in genetic advances, coupled with an explosion of information provided by the HGP, will place the primary care physician in a central role to deliver genetic discoveries to the patient's bedside. This truly is an exciting time to be practicing medicine. US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Energy. The First Five Years .