House Republicans would let employers demand workers’ genetic test results

On the plus side we can request the reports of our elected officials.

originally posted by: Black_Fox

(Yahoo.com)-A little-noticed bill moving through Congress would allow companies to require employees to undergo genetic testing or risk paying a penalty of thousands of dollars, and would let employers see that genetic and other health information.

Giving employers such power is now prohibited by legislation including the 2008 genetic privacy and nondiscrimination law known as GINA. The new bill gets around that landmark law by stating explicitly that GINA and other protections do not apply when genetic tests are part of a “workplace wellness” program

www.yahoo.com...

I cant see this being a good idea, but yet, still see a line of morons lining up to go along with it.

I'd like to think this would be considered an invasion of privacy, but then again, if you don't do this, would you be allowed to have a job?

I just read another post along the same lines dealing with life insurance and many were in support. This is crossing the line. there is no viable reason to check DNA to have a job. Can you say "Database".

if gattica taught us anything, its get your buddies DNA on test day !

Well, this raises questions.

Nobody needs my DNA besides my wife.

I'm a conservative, but the liberals are right on this one.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
Gattaca here we come.

First the ACA replacement that essentially makes it impossible for poor people to get insurance and now this bill. Are we sure that the GOP aren't trying to introduce a eugenics program?

Trump is a big eugenics fan. He has said, "Do we believe in the gene thing? I mean, I do.
I have great genes and all that stuff which, I'm a believer in."

The vast majority of bills never even make it to a vote.

This is definitely one of those.

Eugenics much? Imagine, if you have a predisposition for a condition that comes up on the penal and the employees turn you down for that. "John has a high chance of __insert cancer, condition, etc.__, so he won't be fit for a long term position".

Your FB passwords and other social media(and if you don't have one you're more suspect), DHS background and INS checks, now this? Feel bad for the up and coming employee force looking for work as well as those returning.

a reply to: TamtammyMacx

And when it does pass, what will anyone ***really*** do about it? Bitch on social media? How much is enough? The tech noose is tightening.

Also, if pre-existing conditions aren't supposed to preclude you, why test? Just like the 23 and me and the Ancestry.com, it feels kind of like they are looking for something. Creepy.

Duplicate

I highly doubt the Freedom Caucus would support this. The globalist controlled republican establishment, absolutely.

so, who's gonna pay for these tests? I mean for these tests to be helpful in healthcare they would have to screen for a variety of genetic defects.. such tests don't seem to be too cheap!
are the employers gonna pay for them, the perspective employees, the health insurance companies?
thought the republicans didn't like the idea of the gov't mandated the insurance companies to cover various items.
if you leave it up to the employers, well if they have to pay for it, most employers I don't think are gonna be that interested in your dna. and as far us the people actually applying for jobs... sorry, don't think so!
my guess is that they want to make it one of the preventative care items that is mandated that insurance covers..
while griping about birth control being covered...
lol...
great way to bring down the cost of health insurance people!

A pure evil bill sponsored by Republicans, what a shock.

I think they should be executed for this insanity.

a reply to: Black_Fox

GINA and other protections do not apply when genetic tests are part of a “workplace wellness” program

"Wellness" how Orwellian....Fu*k the machine! So fed up as to how they always try to reduce payments in any way possible, whilst they rake in billions with the help of our supposed representative lawmakers

a reply to: Black_Fox

What the hell?

The only purpose of such a thing relates to discriminating against certain genetic markers, to ensure that employees are selected only from those who will have fewest sick days, and other such rubbish.

The idea is that business provides jobs to the people. It is not there to be served by them.

originally posted by: kosmicjack
a reply to: TamtammyMacx

Also, if pre-existing conditions aren't supposed to preclude you, why test? Just like the 23 and me and the Ancestry.com, it feels kind of like they are looking for something. Creepy.

I was going buy the full genome package last year as a gift for family and extended family. Some would be enthralled by the family lineage thing and so on.

In the end, I entered the details, account number and stalled with a finger on the 'click to pay' button. The T&Cs put me off because none of the companies can guarantee the privacy or ownership of your own information. They promise 'anonymised' sharing of data, but it's been demonstrated how this process can be rolled back.

What killed the idea was what's in the OP. We don't know how the future will go and nobody in my family should run the risk if my genome had predispositions to cancer, mental illness, angina etc.

One thing that is increasingly clear is the future will have corporate and intelligence entities having more rights than we have over our own bodies and information. They'll have all the strengths of legal protections and the people won't have the power to challenge. What's worse is it will all be given away by ill-informed politicians who'll be dead and gone.

My question after reading and hearing about this is the following:

Where are all of the evangelical christian out there that cry if something offends them? Why would they willingly accept this, only to denouce the idea of being chipped? Do they not realize that this would lead to chipping of people?

originally posted by: sdcigarpig
My question after reading and hearing about this is the following:

Where are all of the evangelical christian out there that cry if something offends them? Why would they willingly accept this, only to denouce the idea of being chipped? Do they not realize that this would lead to chipping of people?

Read my statement above. Christian-wise, evangelical best describes my attitude.

originally posted by: kosmicjack
a reply to: TamtammyMacx

And when it does pass, what will anyone ***really*** do about it? Bitch on social media? How much is enough? The tech noose is tightening.

Also, if pre-existing conditions aren't supposed to preclude you, why test? Just like the 23 and me and the Ancestry.com, it feels kind of like they are looking for something. Creepy.

I can tell you that if my business goes under and anyone asks for my DNA when I seek employment, my response will be, "Only if your mom extracts it."

a reply to: Black_Fox

The Bottom Line: Fortune 500 companies want to shift more healthcare cost to the workers under the guise of "wellness programs".

www.yahoo.com...

The Council represents Fortune 500 companies and other large employers that provide employee benefits. It did not immediately respond to questions about how lack of access to genetic information hampers wellness programs.

Rigorous studies by researchers not tied to the $8 billion wellness industry have shown that the programs improve employee health little if at all.

An industry group recently concluded that they save so little on medical costs that, on average, the programs lose money. But employers continue to embrace them, partly as a way to shift more health care costs to workers, including by penalizing them financially.

Dear Conservatives and Trump Voters.

Call your Representatives. Tell them you voted for them, but if they go through with this, they will not get your vote again, nor will you support any candidate that has supported this terrible and invasive legislation.

Tell them you will be asking others in your conservative circles to join you.

Let them know there will be consequences to their personal career, and thus to their party and power.

YOU have more say in this than we liberal folk because your votes matter more.

Please.