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by kolev 5202 days ago
There are more positive sides than negative about sharing genome information. For reference, check out: http://www.personalgenomes.org/ - smarter than us people have already donated their fully-sequenced DNAs (23andMe, Navigenics, deCODEme, and others don't sequence your full genome for now). Paranoia never leads to progress! Anyway, there's a law that you cannot be discriminated by insurance companies and employers with your DNA. Also, with ObamaCare in 2013 you can't be turned down for insurance either. And medicine's only chance for significant breakthroughs is through genomics. And, last, but not least: my DNA is mine and nobody else's, so, if my children and grandchildren have an issue with me sharing my own genome, sorry, but enjoy what you've inherited and quit whining, bastards!
1 comments
mjwalshe 5202 days ago
Do you think that will stop the insurance industry finding ways around this.

And if you have some marker that means that your children cannot get good jobs with health insurance - congratulations you have just condemned your kids to live on the bread line.

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kolev 5201 days ago
Paranoia can take you only that far. HN is supposed to be a place where smart people with big data in there minds hang out. Imagine when insurance companies has everybody's DNA - you think there's a perfect DNA? No, everybody has a different sets of risks. Again, just because you have a risk, it doesn't mean that you will developer the disease. For example, according to 23andMe, I have a lowered risk of Melanoma, yet, 8 years ago, I had stage 0 Melanoma. Genetically, my children are safe as their DNA is clear, but this won't prevent insurance companies tracing my kids health records to mine, if you know what I mean. If you look at the current research, risks are +/- a few percent, so, it doesn't really give you much except certain conditions. But it is much better for you personally to know what you're highly predisposed to than to be a paranoid chicken and not get your DNA sequenced.
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mjwalshe 5201 days ago
No if the insurance companys get hold of your you will be "Fucked" If they can find loop holes to increase your premiums they will.
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kolev 5188 days ago
Health insurance isn't like auto insurance and the plan pricing is only driven by age. So, for a few more months, insurance companies can decline coverage to certain people, but as of next year, there's nothing those crooks can do!
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