An old friend of mine pointed out that the Genetic
Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) did not extend out to
supplemental insurance. I thought that
it was an interesting thought, so I am following up on it today. As always, please feel free to leave a
comment or an opinion below.
EEO Laws GINA -
Follow-up
We had previously discuss how GINA was established to allow
an individual work some protections of their individual genetic code. Employers cannot discriminate against you
when it comes to your genetic predispositions and insurance companies cannot
treat you differently based on your genetic code. Some of you may have supplemental insurance
through your employer, such as life insurance, long-term care insurance, or
disability insurance. These insurances
are not considered medical insurance, and will not necessarily be covered under
GINA.
You most likely have already added a section to your
employee handbook describing GINA for your employees. As employees may become sensitive to this loophole
in GINA, it may be helpful to add a one line notice to your employee handbook
about what insurance is covered and is not covered by this law. You may want to check with your company’s
legal counsel regarding any questions here.
And remember all of
you Human Resources professionals: Be
Human... Be a Resource... Be a Resource
for Humans.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are by the author Trevor Stasik, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any employer or any other organization. Please note, this information is based on my understanding and is only to be used for informational and educational purposes. Do not take what I am writing as advice. Seek your own legal counsel and/or see a tax accountant before making business or personal decisions. The author of this post makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.
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