In September 2024, the Albanese Authorities introduced that it’ll finish the power for all times insurers to discriminate primarily based on antagonistic predictive genetic check outcomes.
The Leukaemia Foundation welcomes the Australian Government’s decision to ban the use of adverse genetic testing results in life insurance.
The Albanese Government made the announcement in September 2024, in a major win for not just blood cancer patients and their families, but all Australians applying for life insurance.
“This change will give Australians the confidence to undertake genetic testing without fear it will impact their ability to access financial security through life insurance,” said Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones MP.
The ban will be subject to a 5 yearly review.
‘No Australian should be discouraged from undertaking testing out of fear it may impact their ability to get life insurance,’ an Australian Treasury statement wrote.
‘This decision places Australia as a world leader in removing barriers to genetic testing by stopping the use of adverse predictive test results in life insurance. Advocates have campaigned for this change over the last decade.’
The decision comes eight months after the Leukaemia Foundation provided a submission to the Australian Treasury in January 2024, advocating for a ban on using genetic testing results by life insurers, along with other proponents such as Dr Jane Tiller from Monash University.
‘Using the results of [genetic testing] to discriminate towards individuals isn’t solely unethical, it additionally disincentivises finest follow care and doubtlessly punishes sufferers for a scientific choice that goals to afford them the absolute best take care of blood cancers,’ a Leukaemia Basis assertion wrote.
‘Genomics is recognised as a robust device in most cancers therapy and we needs to be encouraging its use, not creating uncertainty and potential causes for clinicians to not use it.
Learn the complete submission on the Leukaemia Basis web site.
Genomic testing is crucial within the prognosis and therapy of blood cancers as a result of it permits higher accuracy within the prognosis of the over 120 sub-types, which straight influences therapy choices.
To study extra, learn the complete assertion on the Australian Treasury’s web site: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/stephen-jones-2022/media-releases/total-ban-use-adverse-genetic-testing-results-life