Earlier today, the U.S. House passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008(GINA) by a vote of 414-1.  The bill which was also approved by the Senate with a 95-0 vote last week is expected to be signed into law by President Bush when it crosses his desk.

GINA would prohibit employers and health insurers from discriminating against individuals based on information gained from genetic testing.  They would also be prohibited from seeking or disclosing any type of genetic information.

The proposed law could have a large impact on the health insurance industry in the future.  Health insurers would be unable to set premiums or deny claims to individuals that may have higher risks to certain diseases based on their genetic makeup.

While genetics is already a controversial subject, many doctors have claimed that research has been slowed due to the fear many patients have that this information could be used against them.  The passage of the bill along with the completion of human genome project could make genetic testing much more widespread, which could lead to medical breakthroughs in the future.