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.

At the start of this year, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to install a universal healthcare system.  State laws now mandate that all residents must purchase health coverage or face penalties.

Before the new system was put in place it was estimated that as many as 600,000 of the state’s residents were without healthcare insurance.  The plan has met with remarkable success as nearly 350,000 residents now have health coverage that weren’t insured before the law took effect.

Success however comes with a price.  While the number of insured has increased, the number of doctors in the state hasn’t risen appreciably.  The health care system is becoming strained in trying to meet the increased demand.

Enrollment for the state’s subsidized health plan has also far outstripped estimates.  The initial plan was to reallocate money the state spent for healthcare on the uninsured but that now seems woefully inadequate.

State lawmakers are now scrambling for ways to pay for the unanticipated costs.  As well as asking for federal assistance, the legislature has also proposed an increase to the state’s cigarette tax.

A major flaw in the ambitious plan is that it did nothing to combat ever rising insurance premiums and healthcare costs.  So while universal healthcare is a lofty goal, it is looking increasingly likely that taxpayers will have to shoulder the extra burden if the plan is to succeed.

While most Americans would like to believe that we have the best healthcare system in the world, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  What we really have is one of the most expensive healthcare systems in the world.

Of the world’s industrialized nations, we rank fairly low in a number of health statistics.  Granted we do have some of the best doctors in the world, but large segments of the population are unable to afford their services.

It is estimated that the number of Americans without healthcare insurance is at a staggering 60 million.  With the economy taking a turn for the worse you can expect that number to rise over the next year.

The state of Massachusetts has taken the bold step of instituting universal healthcare for it’s residents and California has been contemplating a similar program in it’s state as  well.  It will be interesting to see if they are successful in their attempts and whether it may be a role model for a future nationwide program.

The other industrialized nations have proven that a universal healthcare system can work and at a cheaper cost.  It is estimated that the U.S. spends on average 40% more per capita on healthcare than countries that have a universal healthcare system in place.

With healthcare costs are spiraling out of control and inflation heating up in general, a number of Americans will have to make the difficult choice of abandoning health insurance all together and pray that they don’t get sick.