Health Insurers Are Scoring Your Genetic Test Results

Episode 129 of Services Economy investigates a controversial practice: health insurers using consumer genetic test results from services like 23andMe and AncestryDNA to adjust coverage and premiums. Lucas opens with the story of a Colorado woman whose BRCA1 gene variant — discovered via a mail-in kit — led to a 40% rate hike. Luna asks why insurers are interested in data that consumers thought was private. The hosts walk through how the data flows from testing companies to data brokers to insurers, despite vague consent language. They discuss the 2008 Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), its loopholes for life and long-term care insurance, and current state-level bills in California and New York. The episode closes on a forward-looking note: as direct-to-consumer genetic testing grows, the line between voluntary health insight and underwriting risk keeps blurring. #GeneticData #HealthInsurance #23andMe #AncestryDNA #GINA #InsuranceRisk #DataBrokers #Privacy #ConsumerProtection #Underwriting #BRCA1 #DirectToConsumer #Predisposition #LifeInsurance #LongTermCare #Economics #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo