Nursing Advocacy During Patient Discrimination on Grounds of Genetics

This article discusses an incident of genetic discrimination encountered by a patient and how nursing advocacy can help uphold patients' rights. The article highlights the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (2008) and the ANA Code of Ethics. It also provides information on the legal implications of health insurers found violating the act.

Running head: NURSING ADVOCACY DURNG PATIENT DISCRIMINATION
NURSING ADVOACY DURING PATIENT DISCRIMINATION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1NURSING ADVOCACY DURING PATIENT DISCRIMINATION
From: Registered Nurse (RN) and active member of the American Nurses Association
To: Policy advocacy group: National Health Council
Respected Sir/ Ma’am,
Subject: Patient discrimination on the grounds of Genetics
This is to bring to your to your notice, an incident of Genetic Discrimination encountered
by one of my patients. Genetic discrimination, as we all know, implies an act of discrimination
of individuals on grounds of a false perception that they may possess a genetic mutation which
can further increase their susceptible to a debilitating inherited disorder (Green, Lautenbach &
McGuire, 2015).
Such an incident occurred with regards to one of my clients, Mr. X (name not revealed
for privacy concerns), who had applied for a Medicaid for coverage of the medical expenses he
will encounter in order to undergo a recently prescribed knee-replacement surgery. On the 14th of
September, 2019, after consulting the concerned insurance agency (details of the agency
enclosed with this letter), my client was denied an insurance upon grounds of a family history of
Huntington’s disease. Such discrimination is a direct violation of the Genetic Information
Nondiscrimination Act (2008), a policy which protects my client, and any American, from
discrimination on grounds of genetic history of information (National Human Genome Research
Institute, 2019). Further, as an RN who is devoted to ensuring optimum public health and
wellbeing, the ANA Code of Ethics, also permits and professionally binds me to uphold the
ethical needs of my fellow patients as well as advocate for their rights as and when the need
arises (American Nurses Association, 2019).

2NURSING ADVOCACY DURING PATIENT DISCRIMINATION
As per the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (2008), health insurance
companies are not permitted to legally oblige or restrict the coverage of health insurance to any
individual, based on usage or procurement of personal or familial genetic information. As a legal
impact, health insurers are liable to be penalized if found violating the same (Steck et al., 2016).
Thus, I humbly request your esteemed organization to kindly look into the matter and
ensure justice for my client at the earliest so that he can claim his right to healthcare which is
affordable, equitable and non-discriminatory. As an organization, which strives on representing
vulnerable groups and the healthcare needs of individuals, I believe that my patient will obtain
the justice he deserves with your support and advocacy (National Health Council, 2019).
Regards,
(Name), Registered Nurse
American Nurses Association

3NURSING ADVOCACY DURING PATIENT DISCRIMINATION
References
American Nurses Association. (2019). Nursing advocacy. Retrieved 16 September 2019, from
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/.
Green, R. C., Lautenbach, D., & McGuire, A. L. (2015). GINA, genetic discrimination, and
genomic medicine. New England Journal of Medicine, 372(5), 397-399.
National Health Council. (2019). National Health Council. Retrieved 16 September 2019, from
http://www.nationalhealthcouncil.org/.
National Human Genome Research Institute. (2019). Genetic Discrimination. Retrieved 16
September 2019, from https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Genetic-
Discrimination.
Steck, M. B. W., Eggert, J. A., Parker, V. G., Crandall, L. A., & Holaday, B. J. (2016). Assessing
awareness of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) among
nurse practitioners: A pilot study. Int Arch Nurs Health Care, 2, 041.