[Genome analysis and health insurance]

In spite of the public opinion that believes genetic testing to be a preferred method of risk assessment before concluding an insurance contract, private medical expenses insurers in Germany do not make any use of this screening procedure. The scrutiny of insurance proposals is restricted to the assessment of the state of health at the moment of underwriting without the proposer having to submit to any medical tests at all. The coverage of presently unknown, i.e. potential, risks, on the contrary, is subject of the health insurance contract. Idea and technique of health insurance business would be contradicted by assessing each individual risk until the prospective damage will be known and charged with the commensurate premium. If an individual has had a specific genetic testing, though, the results of these tests are to be considered in the same way as other medical tests and will need to be declared on proposal forms.