Welch said one reason that access to genetic data should be restricted is because of the incentives for third parties to procure an individual's medical record.
He said that the risk rating insurance system--in which an individual's insurance plan depends on his or her level of medical risk--creates an incentive for insurance companies to access medical records.
"We need much better protection against inappropriate access to medical records," he said.
But Breitenstein said that it is difficult to keep genetic information private.
"The boundaries of your physical body or cellular structure have no integrity," she said.
People shed genetic data constantly on such things as hairbrushes and door handles, Breitenstein said.
Breitenstein and panelist Allan T. Bombard said that genetic data should not be treated separately from a patient's traditional medical record.
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