How come no one seems to be concerned with the fact that this is one more chance for an invasion of your privacy into your most intimate information. What would you want someone to have access to less than your medical records? And you can’t put that genie back in the bottle. At at time when companies are looking at ways to carve people out of their group plans, this should be a concern for all of us. Now they’re looking to charge you nominally more if your obese (25% of the US population, by the way) and if we don’t push back on that, they’ll see what they can force feed us next. Healthcare that is both affordable and not tied to your employer would be a good idea. Let employers lose the tax advantages of offering these plans to their employees and see if we can do something beneficial with that extra revenue.
Privacy on the web is something EVERYONE needs to be extremly concerned and vigilant about.
One good comment though. The V.A. has a computer system that stores all of their clients date. It is updated after every vist, test, etc. and quickly. The purpose is that if you travel and need medical care you can go to ANY V.A. facility and they can access your records immedietly which might just save your life.
This is good idea but itis one that needs the utmost safeguards and security.
One thing they really did not discuss, how much $ $ $ would Google make of a platform such as that? Now that is food for thought.
What is the problem w/ surcharging the obese for health insurance? The fundamental necessity for any insurer is to have the ability to charge a premium commensurate w/ the risk. If your driving record stinks, you are charged more than your neighbor who hasn’t had a ticket or accident in 5 years. Statistics clearly show the increased health risks of being overweight, therefore the increased risk in both claim frequency and severity to your health insurer.
What is the problem w/ surcharging the obese for health insurance?
You’re mistaken when it comes to group health policies. I understand the underwriting differences between the grossly obese, obese and those who are not. I practice in the Health Law area. But group policies and the supposed benefit of group health insurance rather than all of us getting individual policies was to be free of those underwriting criteria that increase the individual’s risk. I actually see benefits to those who advocate that we move to individual policies. My concern with this is the slippery slope we’re going down here in a group policy arena.
We aren’t screaming about it because Google has a track record of protecting client information. They are the only search-engine that did not roll over to Bush when he demanded search term records. They are also extremely aware of what it takes to keep a computer system secure since their corporate life depends on it.
And let’s face it, we need portability of our records. Just in workers’ comp I’ve seen too many cases of fraud because the worker did not disclose prior medical conditions. Medical conditions that would have been discovered if the doctor had access to a comprehensive medical history online. It reduces the risk of conflicting medications, unnecessary procedures and eases second-opinions.
Most people aren’t paying any attention to it – the issue of privacy or to Google managing an Electronic Records System to know if they want to “scream” about it. MOST of us are asleep.
How would you like it if you were dropped from your insurance because you drank, smoke, if you’re single then more than likely you’re having sex and how does the insurer know whether it’s illicit or not? How would you like to be judged by your on the job/ off the premises way of living. What if you’re gay – some companies may think since it’s an alternative lifestyle and say comes wih risky behavior. If you surcharged the obese then you may as well go after other people that practise unhealthly lifestyles too – rapists, murderers, pedophiles, politicians, etc. It won’t stop after a couple of groups – if there is money to be earned then even those that are healthy, married and have 2.2 children will have something pried into to charge them for.
That this will eventually impact others was my meaning of the slippery slope we’re on – first they came for …. but I wasn’t….
You’re right; they’re just testing the waters and soon group policies will only really be group policies for young, healthy people without any obvious potential issues.
How come no one seems to be concerned with the fact that this is one more chance for an invasion of your privacy into your most intimate information. What would you want someone to have access to less than your medical records? And you can’t put that genie back in the bottle. At at time when companies are looking at ways to carve people out of their group plans, this should be a concern for all of us. Now they’re looking to charge you nominally more if your obese (25% of the US population, by the way) and if we don’t push back on that, they’ll see what they can force feed us next. Healthcare that is both affordable and not tied to your employer would be a good idea. Let employers lose the tax advantages of offering these plans to their employees and see if we can do something beneficial with that extra revenue.
Privacy on the web is something EVERYONE needs to be extremly concerned and vigilant about.
One good comment though. The V.A. has a computer system that stores all of their clients date. It is updated after every vist, test, etc. and quickly. The purpose is that if you travel and need medical care you can go to ANY V.A. facility and they can access your records immedietly which might just save your life.
This is good idea but itis one that needs the utmost safeguards and security.
One thing they really did not discuss, how much $ $ $ would Google make of a platform such as that? Now that is food for thought.
What is the problem w/ surcharging the obese for health insurance? The fundamental necessity for any insurer is to have the ability to charge a premium commensurate w/ the risk. If your driving record stinks, you are charged more than your neighbor who hasn’t had a ticket or accident in 5 years. Statistics clearly show the increased health risks of being overweight, therefore the increased risk in both claim frequency and severity to your health insurer.
What is the problem w/ surcharging the obese for health insurance?
You’re mistaken when it comes to group health policies. I understand the underwriting differences between the grossly obese, obese and those who are not. I practice in the Health Law area. But group policies and the supposed benefit of group health insurance rather than all of us getting individual policies was to be free of those underwriting criteria that increase the individual’s risk. I actually see benefits to those who advocate that we move to individual policies. My concern with this is the slippery slope we’re going down here in a group policy arena.
We aren’t screaming about it because Google has a track record of protecting client information. They are the only search-engine that did not roll over to Bush when he demanded search term records. They are also extremely aware of what it takes to keep a computer system secure since their corporate life depends on it.
And let’s face it, we need portability of our records. Just in workers’ comp I’ve seen too many cases of fraud because the worker did not disclose prior medical conditions. Medical conditions that would have been discovered if the doctor had access to a comprehensive medical history online. It reduces the risk of conflicting medications, unnecessary procedures and eases second-opinions.
Most people aren’t paying any attention to it – the issue of privacy or to Google managing an Electronic Records System to know if they want to “scream” about it. MOST of us are asleep.
Look ij,
How would you like it if you were dropped from your insurance because you drank, smoke, if you’re single then more than likely you’re having sex and how does the insurer know whether it’s illicit or not? How would you like to be judged by your on the job/ off the premises way of living. What if you’re gay – some companies may think since it’s an alternative lifestyle and say comes wih risky behavior. If you surcharged the obese then you may as well go after other people that practise unhealthly lifestyles too – rapists, murderers, pedophiles, politicians, etc. It won’t stop after a couple of groups – if there is money to be earned then even those that are healthy, married and have 2.2 children will have something pried into to charge them for.
That this will eventually impact others was my meaning of the slippery slope we’re on – first they came for …. but I wasn’t….
You’re right; they’re just testing the waters and soon group policies will only really be group policies for young, healthy people without any obvious potential issues.