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The Senate voted with an overwhelming majority on Tuesday to approve legislation that would prohibit companies from using information from genetic tests to make employment decisions, deny health coverage or raise insurance premiums. Doctors and scientists are able to diagnose certain diseases and determine a person's vulnerability to other illnesses by studying their DNA. This information is extremely useful from a medical standpoint, but many patients have feared that if they are shown to have a predisposition for a costly disease they will face discriminatory treatment from employers and health insurers. The legislation approved on Tuesday would bar health insurers from denying coverage or raising premiums based on the result of a genetic test, and prohibit employers from using genetic tests in employment related decisions such as hiring, promotion, or salary.