But more work needs to be done, Ms. Terry said. The Coalition for Genetic Fairness has been working with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on better oversight for genetic testing in general. And the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recently called for improvements to public health surveillance databases and health information technology used to monitor the tests.
Potential discrimination in life insurance and disability insurance also must be addressed in the future, Ms. Terry said. “This is a first-step bill for sure.”