The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) welcomes the Federal Government announcing it will legislate to ban the use of genetic test results in life insurance underwriting.
In a submission in response to a Federal Treasury consultation paper, the RACGP said the medical benefits of genetic testing risked being lost if Australians avoid testing because it could lead to them being denied insurance.
RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said: "The RACGP welcomes the Government announcing that it will legislate a full ban on the use of adverse genetic testing results by life insurers.
"Genetic testing has great potential to improve health outcomes for Australians, and people shouldn't be afraid to get tested for fear that they'll be denied insurance.
"Genetic tests enable us to identify and manage risks for conditions that can be life threatening, such as familial breast cancer. Patients must be protected against genetic discrimination based on adverse results."
