Dive Brief:
- In what medical researchers are calling the "Angelina Effect", public demand for genetic testing is on the rise.
- In 2013, actress Angelina Jolie went public with her decision to have a double mastectomy after a genetic test uncovered a mutation in her BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, an indication that she is at high risk for breast and ovarian cancers. In 2015, she also had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
- In the midst of the surge in demand for genetic testing, major insurers, including Aetna, Anthem and Cigna, are refusing to pay for the tests.
Dive Insight:
The insurers say the tests are unproven, but some scientists say that's a dangerous miscalculation. Although the researchers admit the data produced by these tests may not be useful from a diagnostic standpoint, they say it could be used to counsel patients to make lifestyle changes or undergo screenings, all of which could help save lives. They also say the insurance companies' refusal to cover the tests could be endangering patients who are at risk.
Susan Kutner, a California Kaiser Permanente surgeon who serves on a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee on young women and breast cancer, told Reuters that more women who have a family history of cancer should be able get these tests. "If we have members who are not being tested in a timely manner, we know that their risk of cancer in the long run costs us and them a lot more," she said.