Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst

Last week, the Supreme Court handed down a decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, a case dealing with gene patenting. Now, for a lot of people who don't follow the biotech industry closely (or who aren't mega nerds like me who've read every Michael Crichton novel ever published), this seems absurd. "Of course you can't patent genes;" you might say, "Patents are for things that are invented, created, and developed. Genes occur in nature. Isn't that like patenting dirt or a rock or a tree?" But this practice of companies patenting genes they discovered and isolated had been going on for 30 years. This practice means that the companies with patents effectively have a monopoly on research of that gene, stunting other scientists' ability to conduct research and potentially driving up patient costs for tests and treatments related to the research. But then, on June 13th, the Supreme Court agreed, "Of course you can't patent genes! Genes are found in nature." They didn't put it exactly like that, but you get my point. 

So this decision is a triumph of logic and reason, but what exactly does it mean for women's health? The case the Court decided on dealt specifically with Myriad Genetics' long-standing patent on the BRCA 1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes are associated with breast and ovarian cancer, and individuals with certain mutations of this gene are at an increased risk for those types of cancers. The Myriad decision means that more scientists will be able to perform research on these genes, which should lead to breakthroughs in prevention, detection, and treatment.

Halloween is just around the corner and I’m pretty psyched about the arrival of haunted houses and scary movie marathons. I’m not easily scared. I will watch The Shining without flinching; I was thrilled about the new season of American Horror Story starting, and one of the first things I do when visiting a new city is look for a good ghost tour. One thing that does have me frightened though (other than the ridiculous lines at Party City the weekend before Halloween) is the prospect that some States may not expand Medicaid eligibility in 2014.

The Affordable Care Act extends health coverage to 30 million currently uninsured Americans through tax credits to purchase private insurance and a major expansion of Medicaid eligibility to all qualified individuals under age 65 who have incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty line (FPL) (about $30,000 for a family of four). The Medicaid eligibility expansion accounts for approximately half of the coverage gains under the new healthcare law.