密歇根新闻广播 企业要求员工做基因测试是否合理

How would you feel if your boss demanded you undergo genetic¹ testing and hand over the results? And if you refuse, you could wind up paying a penalty of up to 30% of your health insurance's total cost?

A bill to do just that cleared a House Congressional committee last week.

It's called the Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act. It was approved by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce² last Wednesday in a vote that ran along party lines. All 22 Republicans, including Michigan Representative Tim Walberg, R-7, supported the measure while all 17 Democrats³ opposed it.

Lizabeth Barclay is a professor of management at Oakland University who's studied genetic testing and workplace discrimination for more than a decade. She joined Stateside to explain what this bill might allow an employer to do with the results of a genetic test.

"It's possible that there could be additional costs for insurance," Barclay said. "With a lot of the current wellness programs, they're tied to health insurance plans and if you don't undergo cholesterol⁴ and blood pressure testing, then you pay a higher medical premium⁵. So, it's possible that if employees don't do this, they will be paying higher charges."

Barclay said some employers may be pushing for this bill in an effort to help control healthcare costs. But the trouble with that, Barclay said, is that it leaves many more questions unanswered.

Who has access to this genetic information? How will that information be interpreted, and by whom? Will your spouse⁶ or kids have to be tested too? Does this actually help make employees healthier?

1 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

5 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

6 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？