Signal 2018 Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance limits genomic data in insurance

Summary

The 2018 Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance restricts the use of genomic information for insurance purposes. The report presents it as one of the UK's mitigations against the growing collection of human biological data. Alongside it, biological data is protected under GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, with rights such as the right to be forgotten and the national data opt-out for NHS patients. The report counts insurer access to shared biological data among its ethical concerns. It also flags that more hacking and information asymmetry could push up insurance prices, and in the longer term it sees genetic screening for insurance as a possible source of discrimination and stigma.