SSQ Insurance announced Oct. 1 that it will now offer coverage for pharmacogenetic tests to members of its group insurance plans.
Pharmacogenetic test help to analyze how a person’s DNA will react to a prescription drug, reportedly making it easier for attending physicians to identify the most appropriate drug for each patient. The results of genetic tests are used to identify the most appropriate drugs for the treatment of conditions like attention deficit disorder, psychological illnesses and chronic diseases like hypertension and chronic pain. SSQ says the genetic test results are never provided to the insurer.
“Since the treatment of disease is evolving toward personalized solutions for individual patients, pharmacogenetics is quickly becoming a must,” says Éric Trudel, senior vice president of strategy and product management at SSQ. “SSQ Insurance is the first insurer to expand its health insurance offering by adding a clause for pharmacogenetic tests that is separate from the traditional clause for laboratory analyses.”
The new clause is being made available to group health insurance members, following a pilot project launched by the company where pharmacogenetic testing was offered to insured persons on disability leave who had been diagnosed with depression. “The technological advances and the success of the pilot project have allowed SSQ Insurance to develop the new clause, now available in group health insurance,” they write.
To be eligible, the tests must be prescribed by a physician and carried out by an authorized laboratory in Canada.
