Washington, D.C. – Earlier today U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz voted in strong support of landmark legislation, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. This historic bill, which passed Congress overwhelming, will prohibit health insurance companies and employers from discriminating against people on the basis of genetic test results. The bill has already passed the Senate, and now goes to President Bush for his signature. The President has said that he intends to sign the bill into law.

Schwartz delivered the following speech on the House floor to urge her colleagues to vote in support of the measure.

“Today Americans buy health coverage believing they are doing the right thing and expecting they have secured access for needed health services for themselves and their family. But unfortunately this is simply not always true.

“Individuals, regardless of their age or circumstance, are denied health coverage every day due to evidence or existence of pre-existing conditions. This could be anything from asthma to heart disease, and can affect anyone, from our nation’s children, to our grandparents, to each of us.

“For more then ten years, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has provided protections for some individuals and families to ensure this information is not used to deny health coverage by either an employer or an insurer – but gaps still remain.

“With the evolution of biomedical research, our nation’s scientists have discovered opportunities to use genetic information to prevent, diagnose, and more effectively treat some of the most devastating diseases of our lifetime.

“I am honored to represent some of these brilliant researchers and scientists in Southeastern Pennsylvania. In addition to the great medical potential they are exploring, genetic information also has the potential to reduce health care costs with better prevention and disease management.

“We must ensure that these new revelations do not come with a price – discrimination by employers, insurers, schools, or others based on the genetic information of those who are not even sick, but are simply identified as being pre-disposed to a specific disease.

“If we do not assure our fellow Americans that they are safe in taking full advantage of the opportunities provided by exploring their genetic information, then these advances in biomedical research will have been for nothing.

“For this reason, I applaud my colleague Representative Slaughter for introducing the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), and I am proud to support its passage.”

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