The London papers report a new UK government ruling that insurance companies are not going to be allowed to use the results of genetic testing in order to make a judgement on whether or not to insure people.

If so, this is very bad news for people who buy insurance. Because folk who are worried that they might die young, or suffer some long-term debilitating illness, will immediately get themselves tested. Then, if their fears are confirmed, they will pitch up at an insurance company demanding cover. And the insurer, kept in ignorance of the real risk, will end up writing some very bad business to a lot of people.

Which in turn means that insurance premiums will go up, even for people who are at low risk and who choose a healthy lifestyle. Or insurers will just stop offering life or long-term illness cover entirely.

If politicians think it's important to help high-risk people, then fine: but they should pay for it, after public debate. What they are trying to do is to foist this "social cost" on to private business. And when you try to push market players around like that, you do more harm than good. Civics is the business of government, not the business of business.