United States · regulation
78 FR 5566
HIPAA Privacy Rule treatment of genetic information
ApprovedTopics: Genetic privacy · Health insurance
Summary
The 2013 HIPAA final rule implemented GINA-related changes by treating genetic information as health information and restricting covered health plans from using or disclosing genetic information for underwriting.
What the law or policy does
The final rule revised HIPAA definitions and privacy provisions so genetic information is treated as health information and covered health plans may not use or disclose it for underwriting purposes.
What this means
Genetic information held by a HIPAA-covered entity can be protected health information. HIPAA does not cover every company or every consumer genetic testing service.
Primary sources
- Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement, and Breach Notification Rules. Office of the Federal Register. Accessed August 31, 2026.
Record details
Record history
- January 25, 2013: Final rule published in the Federal Register. Source: 78 FR 5566.
- August 31, 2026: Record created from the final rule. Source: Project review.
Technical metadata
Record ID: federal-hipaa-genetic-information-2013
Topics: genetic-privacy, health-insurance
Canonical source file: data/federal/federal-hipaa-genetic-information-2013.yaml
Cite this record
Who Owns Your DNA? 78 FR 5566: HIPAA Privacy Rule treatment of genetic information. U.S. Genetics & Genomics Law and Policy Tracker. Record version 1.0. Accessed [date].