A trade group representing disease-management and wellness firms, health plans, employers and others is calling for a moratorium on new federal regulations on the use of personal genetic information.
The DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance said that the new interim final regulations, issued on Oct. 7, will hinder businesses and health plans from implementing wellness and chronic-disease management programs.
The regulations stem from the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, or GINA, of 2008, which aims to protect individuals from employment or health plan-discrimination based on their genetic makeup.
The group said the regulations prohibit incentives for individuals who complete health-risk assessments and wellness programs that include genetic information such as family medical histories, according to a letter sent to the secretaries of HHS, Labor and the Treasury, whose agencies jointly issued the regulations.
“Although well-intentioned, the GINA regulations would have a chilling effect on (health and wellness) programs, and on our ability to reach those who could benefit most from chronic-disease prevention and care,” said Tracey Moorhead, president and CEO of the DMAA, in a news release.
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