The Human Genome Initiative and Access to Health Care

This project will provide an overview of the impact of the HGP on access to health care. In addition to scholarly articles, the product of this research will be a book on the HGP and access to health care, which will address the HGP's impact on health care needs, the likely availability of resources, and our concepts of health, illness, and personal responsibility for health and illness. The project will also examine the impact of the HGP on the health care enterprise in the US, focusing on access, and how decisions about financing may be affected. It will incorporate studies of the impact on health insurance, government programs affecting access and reimbursement, employer health benefits, and the distribution of scarce medical resources. Finally, the book will analyze the HGP's overall impact on the practice of medicine, biomedical ethical issues, and legal issues and policy options. This final section will suggest priorities for future research as well as potential options for policy.