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. 2017 May;14(3):203-211.
doi: 10.2217/pme-2016-0075. Epub 2017 May 23.

The price of whole-genome sequencing may be decreasing, but who will be sequenced?

Deborah A Marshall  1 , Karen V MacDonald  1 , Jill Oliver Robinson  2 , Lisa F Barcellos  3 , Milena Gianfrancesco  3 , Monica Helm  4 , Amy McGuire  2 , Robert C Green  5 , Michael P Douglas  6 , Michael A Goldman  7 , Kathryn A Phillips  6   8
Affiliations

The price of whole-genome sequencing may be decreasing, but who will be sequenced?

Deborah A Marshall et al. Per Med. 2017 May.

Abstract

Aim: Since whole-genome sequencing (WGS) information can have positive and negative personal utility for individuals, we examined predictors of willingness to pay (WTP) for WGS.

Patients & methods: We surveyed two independent populations: adult patients (n = 203) and college seniors (n = 980). Ordinal logistic regression models were used to characterize the relationship between predictors and WTP.

Results: Sex, age, education, income, genomic knowledge and knowing someone who had genetic testing or having had genetic testing done personally were associated with significantly higher WTP for WGS. After controlling for income and education, males were willing to pay more for WGS than females.

Conclusion: Differences in WTP may impact equity, coverage, affordability and access, and should be anticipated by public dialog about related health policy.

Keywords: access to healthcare; attitude to health; healthcare costs; human genome; personalized medicine; whole genome sequencing; willingness-to-pay.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Distribution of willingness to pay for the MedSeq Project (n = 174)
WGS: Whole-genome sequencing.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Distribution of willingness to pay for college seniors (n = 785)
WGS: Whole-genome sequencing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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