【视频内容】

So regulations today often protect consumers from the mandatory disclosure of predictive tests. But the rules are patchy. In Britain the industry has agreed to a blanket moratorium, renewable every three years, on using predictive genetic information. The sole exception is Huntington’s chorea, where a test of one gene is infallible and has to be disclosed to an insurer for life cover worth more than £500,000 ($662,000). In America the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act bans health insurers (and employers) from using such results, but is silent on other types of insurance. In several countries life insurers may already ask for disclosure of predictive genetic tests for policies over a certain value.
But testing is rarely cut-and-dried. Ronnie Klein from the Geneva Association, an insurance-industry think-tank, says that, unlike Huntington’s, most illnesses stem from a number of factors, including lifestyle and environment, and a combination of genes. For example, although the ApoE4 allele increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, many without it still get the disease.
Some regulators, such as Germany’s, have outlawed direct-to-consumer tests. But nothing stops Germans from ordering from abroad, and, just as it became normal for life insurers to ask for family history, so insurers will surely eventually have access to relevant genetic information. The question will be what they are allowed to do with it. When blood tests for AIDS first appeared, insurers also fretted about adverse selection. Many jurisdictions ruled they could not be used for calculating health premiums, as these were a basic good, but could be used for life policies. As genetic testing spreads, society and insurers may face many similar difficult assessments.


【精讲文本】

So regulations today often protect consumers from the mandatory disclosure of predictive tests. But the rules are patchy. In Britain the industry has agreed to a blanket moratorium, renewable every three years, on using predictive genetic information. The sole exception is Huntington’s chorea, where a test of one gene is infallible and has to be disclosed to an insurer for life cover worth more than £500,000 ($662,000). In America the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act bans health insurers (and employers) from using such results, but is silent on other types of insurance. In several countries life insurers may already ask for disclosure of predictive genetic tests for policies over a certain value.
所以，当前的监管规定通常都保护消费者，不要求他们公开预测性检测结果。但这类规定并不整齐划一。在英国，保险业已经同意一个禁用预测性遗传信息的一揽子协议，每三年续订一次，唯一的例外是亨丁顿舞蹈症，这种病可以通过检测某个基因获得是否会患病的确切诊断，在申请偿付超过50万英镑（66.2万美元）的人寿险时必须告知保险商。在美国，遗传信息反歧视法案（Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act）禁止医疗保险商（及雇主）使用这类检测结果，但对其他类型的保险并无要求。在少数几个国家，人寿保险商可能已就超过某个偿付数额的保单要求投保人告知预测性遗传检测结果。
mandatory adj.强制的
patchy adj.不整齐的
- patch n.补丁
blanket adj.全部的 (affect everyone or everything)
moratorium n.暂停 (a time when a particular activity is not allowed)
sole adj.唯一的
huntington’s chorea 亨廷顿舞蹈症
Infallible adj.万无一失的
- fallible adj.会犯错的
- We’re all fallible.
silent adj.不语的

But testing is rarely cut-and-dried. Ronnie Klein from the Geneva Association, an insurance-industry think-tank, says that, unlike Huntington’s, most illnesses stem from a number of factors, including lifestyle and environment, and a combination of genes. For example, although the ApoE4 allele increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, many without it still get the disease.
但检测结果很少意味着已成定局。保险行业智库日内瓦协会（Geneva Association）的龙尼•克莱恩（Ronnie Klein）说，和亨丁顿舞蹈症不同，大部分疾病源自一系列因素，包括生活方式、环境，以及基因组合。比如，虽然ApoE4等位基因增加了患阿尔兹海默症的风险，许多并不携带这种基因的人却也得了这种病。
cut-and-dried adj. 事先准备的，已经成定局的
- a cut-and-dried presentation
think-tank n.智囊团
stem from 由…造成
allele n.等位基因

Some regulators, such as Germany’s, have outlawed direct-to-consumer tests. But nothing stops Germans from ordering from abroad, and, just as it became normal for life insurers to ask for family history, so insurers will surely eventually have access to relevant genetic information. The question will be what they are allowed to do with it. When blood tests for AIDS first appeared, insurers also fretted about adverse selection. Many jurisdictions ruled they could not be used for calculating health premiums, as these were a basic good, but could be used for life policies. As genetic testing spreads, society and insurers may face many similar difficult assessments.
一些国家的监管机构，比如德国，已经把直接向消费者销售检测列为非法。但没什么能阻止德国人从海外购买检测。而正如人寿保险商询问家族病史已经变成惯例，各类保险商终有一天也会获得相关遗传信息。问题将在于他们被允许拿这些信息来做什么。艾滋病血液检测刚出现时，保险商也曾担心逆向选择。许多地区规定不能使用这一血液检测结果来计算医疗保费（因为医保是一种基础商品），但可用于审批人寿保险。随着基因检测的推广普及，社会和保险商可能面临许多类似的、棘手的评估。
outlaw v.判定…违法
fret about 为…感到担忧
- fret v.烦恼
jurisdiction n.管辖范围
assessment n.评测

【写作素材总结】

Key takeaways:
[1].The sole exception is …
[2]. stem from …
[3]. fret about …