Genetic Information Guidelines Still Leave Many Questions, Says Estate Planning Attorney
Dec 7, 2012
Palo Alto, CA (Law Firm Newswire) December 6, 2012 – Noted estate planning attorney, Michael Gilfix has published a feature article for Trusts & Estates, a wealthmanagement.com magazine for estate-planning professionals.
“It’s All in The Genes,” in the October 2012 issue of Trusts & Estates, is an in-depth look at genetic information and how it relates to estate planning and taxation issues.
“The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, known as GINA, was signed into legislation in 2008 by then-President George W. Bush,” stated Gilfix. “The intent was to prohibit discrimination in the areas of health coverage, insurance and employment, as breakthroughs in research indicated that an individual could be pinpointed as having a genetic predisposition to certain diseases.”
California passed its own version of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which works addresses broader area than the federal legislation, barring genetic information discrimination in the areas of education, employment, housing, lending, and public accommodations.
However, GINA as it currently stands federally does not include privacy protection when it comes to life insurance, disability insurance or long-term care insurance, says Gilfix. How genetic information will be used in those instances in the future is still uncertain. “Genetic information that affects life expectancy is of obvious relevance to life insurance underwriting decisions,” says Palo Alto estate planning attorney Gilfix.
Michael Gilfix is a nationally known authority in the field of law, aging and estate planning. A 1973 graduate of Stanford Law School, he is a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a co-founder of NAELA, and a Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Mr. Gilfix regularly addresses professional audiences, including attorneys, physicians, certified public accountants, and financial planners, nationally, as well as locally.
An entrepreneur in the legal field, Mr. Gilfix created the first legal aid program for elders in 1973. He served as Executive Director of that program, Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA) of Santa Clara County, for ten years. In 1983 he created the law firm that is today known as Gilfix & La Poll Associates LLP.
To learn more, visit Gilfix & La Poll Associates LLP at http://www.gilfix.com/.
Gilfix & La Poll Associates LLP
2300 Geng Rd., Suite 200
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Telephone: (650) 493-8070
http://www.gilfix.com/
Facebook: Like Us!
