Once the specific genetic basis for disease is known, therapy tailored to an individual's specific genetic makeup will be possible. This is called pharmacogenomics. The ability to understand what dosage of a medication will be most effective, what side effects will be more common, and whether resistance or tolerance will develop, will be enhanced enormously. The impact of all the new knowledge, therapies, and system support will be to increase the cost of medical care, at least in the short term. No one is yet predicting the exact cost impact, although a recent New England Journal of Medicine article suggests it will be smaller than many believe.
Today there are still more questions than answers.
Despite provisions in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and laws in many states, the safeguards against genetic discrimination are not fully in place. People have hidden the results of genetic testing for fear of the effects of disclosure. There is no national public policy forum to create recommendations about these issues. The Department of Health and Human Services has appointed an advisory committee to provide some recommendations, due later this year. No structure or framework exists for the creation of public policy on genomic discoveries.