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GINA Wellness Exception

Meaning

A specific, narrowly defined provision within the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) that permits an employer-sponsored wellness program to offer financial incentives for completing a health risk assessment (HRA), even if the HRA requests family medical history. This exception allows programs to gather information relevant to hereditary hormonal risks, provided the participation is voluntary and the incentive is not contingent upon the disclosure of genetic information itself. The regulation balances the need for health promotion with the fundamental right to genetic privacy. This provision is often a point of legal scrutiny.