SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A plan moving in Springfield could create new protections for your genetic information. Sponsors believe the insurance industry should be banned from using genetic information to determine healthcare coverage.

Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) said Illinois needs to improve genetic nondiscrimination protections for patients.

Her bill could ban insurance companies from canceling, limiting, or denying coverage or changing rates based on genetic information collected for healthcare treatment. Insurers would also be blocked from soliciting a person's genetic information, using genetic test results, or considering a patient's decisions regarding genetic information in any manner for insurance purposes.

"I think it's really clear that science is advancing much quicker than our policies and statutes have," Morrison said. "I think it's time for us to sit down and evaluate how we're going to deal with the changes that are happening."

Genetic counselors told the Senate Insurance Committee that many patients and families delay or avoid genetic testing because a positive result could limit their ability to receive coverage. They stressed that people may not have access to lifesaving early detection or risk-reducing options under the status quo.

"By not having comprehensive protections against genetic information discrimination, we're asking patients and families to make the impossible decision of either obtaining lifesaving care now with a potential for significant financial impact to their loved ones or neglecting their current healthcare needs to protect their families' futures," said Bre Prindeville, president of the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals.

However, some argue that this bill would be detrimental to the life insurance industry's viability in Illinois. The American Council of Life Insurers said they need access to accurate and complete information about patients, including their full medical record with genetic information and family history.

"If insurers cannot accurately assess an applicant's risk and the cost then shifts to other applicants, that creates other applicants paying more for less coverage, making it less attractive and more likely that people will not buy it," said ACLI Regional Vice President Karen Melchert.

Senate Bill 2799 passed unanimously out of the Senate Insurance Committee last week, but Morrison said she plans to work with the insurance industry to reach an agreement on the plan. 

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