“We want Munich (Reuters) – no glass patients.” Achim Regenauer, Board member and senior consultant at the world’s largest reinsurance company, Munich Re, is exposed to his industry in the debate on the genetic engineering of unjust criticism. The insurance industry respect the right to non-knowledge. “We demand no genetic tests prior to the conclusion of an insurance company, and we will not do it”, he makes it clear. Is equally clear in his opinion but also that private health or life insurers access to gene studies should have, a customer can be voluntarily make. Here, a massive conflict threatens the insurance industry with the Federal Government. Because secured Federal Justice Minister Herta daeubler-Gmelin (SPD) wants to know: “That only the patient and his doctor have a right to information from genetic testing.” In their opinion this is a “matter of course”. If this matter of the course in question will be asked, “then we must make already a law”, explained the Minister. Well managed, she finds a system from Austria. There it is employers and insurance companies banned, the results of genetic analysis “to raise, to demand, accept or otherwise exploit.” If would passed a similar law in Germany, “then we would have a problem”, says Gabriele Hoffmann of the Insurance Association. Because if a customer on the basis of a voluntary test knows he probably soon ill or even die, insurance needs may request this. Only to the respective risk can be calculated. Achim Regenauer from Munich Re fears that applicants who know their results alone, could – complete deliberately very high life insurance or comfortable private health insurance “and so make capital from a negative genetic test”, as the head puts it. The consequence would be higher costs for insurance companies – and higher rates for all other customers, warns Regenauer. (ee)