BRCA rate in general population 0.2–0.3%
Fewer than 0.3% of the general population carries a BRCA mutation, making it extremely rare outside high-risk groups.
Where this was said
Myriad Genetics, learnmyrisk.com, and the Advocacy Mission
At 28:26 · chapter starts 26:30
Jackie reveals that despite being a regular doctor-goer and an Ashkenazi Jew, no one ever suggested BRCA testing to her until her father's diagnosis. She's partnered with Myriad Genetics — the company that discovered the BRCA gene — to publicize that a simple saliva test at learnmyrisk.com returns a comprehensive genetic and cancer-risk profile. She lays out the three insurance-covered triggers: a family member with rare cancer, young-onset cancer, or multiple cancers. Male breast cancer qualifies as rare, which helped her father get covered. The unofficial fourth criterion Jackie advocates loudly for: being Ashkenazi Jewish, since 1 in 40 Ashkenazi Jews carries the mutation — roughly 10 times the general population rate of 0.2–0.3%. [1] — Jackie Tohn "Insurance covers BRCA genetic testing under three official criteria: a family member with rare cancer, young-onset cancer, or multiple canc…" 26:28
Insurance covers BRCA test if: young, rare, or multiple
Insurance covers BRCA genetic testing when a family member had young-onset cancer, rare cancer, or multiple cancers — plus an informal fourth criterion for Ashkenazi Jews.
BRCA affects 1 in 40 Ashkenazi Jews
The BRCA mutation rate among Ashkenazi Jews is roughly 1 in 40, compared to 0.2–0.3% of the general population — about 10 times higher.
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