IGX

On Monday (July 22) the Wall Street Journal reported that in May, the United States Internal Revenue Service decided the health portion of 23andMe’s $199 health and ancestry DNA analysis counts as medical care. Although the company doesn’t sell its health-risk test alone—it comes in a bundle with ancestry testing—customers who purchase the kit in 2019 can use their flexible or health spending accounts to cover up to $117.74 of the total cost.

The IRS decision reflects the many identities of the company: It’s part science, part entertainment, and increasingly, part health care. Of the dozens of genetic testing companies operating in the US, the Food and Drug Administration has given only 23andMe approval to inform customers directly (rather than through a health care provider) whether or not they have a handful of mutations that put them at a higher risk of developing 11 conditions, including breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. This latest decision bolsters the idea that direct-to-consumer genetic tests aren’t just for fun—they’re yet another player in the US health care arena.

SubClaw wrote: ↑Fri Jul 26, 2019 10:56 pm Frankly, I couldn't give a shit about my ancestry. I have zero interest in knowing any long-lost relatives. Blood ties have never meant anything to me.

Grandpa's Spells wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2019 2:08 am I did 23andMe early on when it was gifted to me and before they put disclaimers like, "Yeah, we know you're supposed to be Italian, Don Bongino, but you are black. Talk to mom." No genetic disorders or ancestral surprises, and it ID'd cousins who'd done it.

I did find odd scammers trying to collect information for strange reasons. Not sure what that was about.