His father had never been ill but was identified as a gene carrier after his son's diagnosis. The father could not obtain private personal health or life insurance, which also limited the coverage available to the sick child's healthy siblings. The odds are that this father might also have a hard time landing a job which includes health coverage. Instead of having a universal health insurance system like most industrialized countries, the US has a system based largely on employment benefits, and a system whose cost is rising faster than double-acting yeast. The result is that US companies are eager to avoid hiring anyone with known gene defects, regardless of whether the person has symptoms or not.
Some companies have an additional reason for giving genetic tests to employees.
For example, people with certain types of genes may be less sensitive to lead poisoning, radiation, or insecticides. Rather than simply cleaning up the workplace, companies are encouraging a new breed of toxin-resistant humans. A comic-book plot come true. One reason for the spread of genetic tests is marketing. A host of for-profit biotechnology laboratories have taken up the cause of scrutinizing your double helix.