Comments | half_iowan: it's open enrollment time, it's open enrollment time (to the tune of the Howdy Doody theme)

half_iowan

it's open enrollment time, it's open enrollment time (to the tune of the Howdy Doody theme)

Oct 22, 2008 17:00

It's open enrollment time at work. I'm fairly certain that it's sort of universal across industries/companies, but in case it's not: It's the time to figure out what benefits we want/need for 2009. Anywho, one of the things [my workplace]/Medica (I honestly don't know which one and it doesn't matter for this story) does is to assess a surcharge ( Read more... )

Comments 4

wifeofbudda October 22 2008, 23:05:09 UTC

If insurance companies suspect fraud (yes, if you lie on an application it is considered fraud), they can look at your hospital/clinic records. I know my doctor always asks the routine question, "do you smoke or are around people who smoke?". Do people lie to their health provider? Insurance companies can also do their own investigation (interviewing friends/family/co-workers). You can get in a lot of trouble if you are frauding the system. Do they catch everyone -- no, that would be impossible. However, you never know when they might do a random audit in an attempt to catch people.

Surcharges for smokers have been fairly normal for a while. Now, the new thing is to have surcharges for people who are over weight. It's called an "incentive" to make healthier choices. It also keeps premiums down for people who are at a lower risk for certain diseases (lung cancer).

Our health plan doesn't re-set until March. I won't even be running my eligibility reports until January. Yes, I am the sole benefit rep in my company......

FrFast351sgrl wifeofbudda October 23 2008, 00:07:56 UTC

Yeah, I was just going to mention the surcharge for overeaters. I do agree that the company is trying to suck as much money as possible from you - and I don't really like it. Too much "big brother" if you ask me.

I suppose the reason that they don't charge alcoholics is because drinking in moderation has been shown beneficial in some studies, whereas I've never really heard that "one cigarette a day actually decreases your risk for heart attack".

Re: FrFast351sgrl half_iowan October 23 2008, 00:29:33 UTC

Tobacco users are charged for their vice, and our company offers free smoking cessation courses/plans. If they were to charge overweight people extra (though that would then require everyone to be assessed by a physician) wouldn't you think it would make sense to offer free weight loss courses/plans?

My point in this post was mainly the woman's argument. I mean, she thinks NOTHING of spending AT LEAST $80 a month on cigarettes, but to be charged for that same vice is SO absurd to her. But this is also the woman who would rather discuss Survivor, Big Brother, American Idol and the Powerball than do anything actually productive. So the entire conversation shouldn't have surprised me in the least!

Re: FrFast351sgrl eatmypatriot October 23 2008, 03:30:17 UTC

SURVIVOR, BIG BROTHER, AMERICAN IDOL AND POWERBALL ARE IMPORTANT OK?!

Jeez. So judgmental.