The Genetics and Insurance Committee 19/7/02. By Dierdre Janson-Smith An independent review body set up to evaluate the use of genetic tests by the insurance industry.

The Genetics and Insurance Committee (GAIC) aims to ensure that any use of genetic results by insurers is based on sound scientific and actuarial evidence. It develops criteria for the review of specific genetic tests and their reliability and relevance in awarding or denying insurance cover. Insurers must apply for permission to use the results of specific tests, and each case is independently assessed according to the GAIC criteria. All new genetic tests will be evaluated as they are developed.

The GAIC was set up by the government in 1999 in response to growing public concern about how the industry wanted to use genetic test results, and the potential for discrimination through genetic screening. (While people cannot be forced into taking tests, they may be asked to reveal the results of tests already taken for medical reasons. The concern is whether we know enough about the relationship between genes and health to say whether insurers are justified in using the results of such tests.)

The Genetics and Insurance Committee is an independent review body set up to evaluate the use of genetic tests by the insurance industry.

The GAIC's remit covers the specific technical, scientific and actuarial issues involved in using genetic test results. The wider social and ethical issues surrounding their use in insurance and employment have been referred to the new Human Genetics Commission, with whom the GAIC works closely.

A five year moratorium was agreed with the insurance industry in 2000 on the use of genetic test results. The GAIC advises the government on the industry's compliance with this agreement. The GAIC also deals with unresolved complaints from the public about how their application has been treated by an insurance company during the moratorium.

The insurance industry has collectively agreed to abide by GAIC decisions. If the GAIC decides that the evidence on the reliability and relevance of a particular test is insufficient to justify its use, the ABI have agreed to stop using it and to retrospectively review insurance premiums.

In October 2000, the GAIC granted its first permission for the use of genetic tests in assessing insurance. Two tests for Huntington's disease were reviewed by a clinical geneticist and an actuary, and sent to support groups for Huntington's disease and to the Genetic Interest Group (GIG) for comment. The GAIC announced that it considered the tests sufficiently reliable and relevant to allow their use.

The GAIC reports annually to Health, Treasury, and Department of Trade and Industry ministers. Its members are chosen for their individual expertise and independence in protecting public concerns about the use of genetic test results. The current membership is being revised and extended. A new Chair, Professor David Johns, has been appointed.