Interesting article on wellness exams

[Retail Girl]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...paign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=202602

So apparently the government is suing Honeywell (familiar name anyone? Ahem.) for requiring people to take a wellness exam and charging them extra on their insurance if they don't. This is pretty much what Spot does...only they word it as a reward for doing it instead of a punishment for not doing it. Same thing, different wording.

Not sure why they are doing this instead of just creating a law to stop this, but it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

 

[commiecorvus]

I liked this comment.

"The EEOC has chosen litigation over regulation," says J.D. Piro, a senior vice president at Aon Hewitt, who leads the benefits consultant's health law group.

But of course the moment they create any kind of regulations the right jumps up and down screaming about socialized medicine.
Damned if you and damned if you don't.

 

[Guest]

Isn't it kinda hypocritical that the government is suing companies that require a wellness exam? I mean the government now requires you to purchase health insurance? Why do you have to buy something that you may never use or need? Isn't life about taking risks?

 

[PinkZinnia]

why do you need any insurance? Most is no longer an option. Health, Auto, Home. The only type that seems to be optional is insurance on your life.

 

[commiecorvus]

why do you need any insurance? Most is no longer an option. Health, Auto, Home. The only type that seems to be optional is insurance on your life.

Basically because it will cost someone else if you don't have it.

With home insurance it's the bank.
With auto it's whoever you hit.
With health it's the hospitals and other people (one of the reasons medical care is so expensive is to offset all the people who can't pay).

 

[Retail Girl]

Isn't it kinda hypocritical that the government is suing companies that require a wellness exam? I mean the government now requires you to purchase health insurance? Why do you have to buy something that you may never use or need? Isn't life about taking risks?

Never use or need?? Seriously? Find me one person who has never been to the doctor for any reason whatsoever, from the time they were born (ruling out most of us right there) to the time they died. Take your own risks, but don't take them with my money.

 

[kingpin003]

Statistics indicate those without insurance are much more likely to visit the ER when they are in need of minor medical care. (Damn communists, abusing the system because they don't want to pay for their own healthcare). The reason? You're going to get your treatment there and when you cannot afford to pay for the service it falls on everyone else to cover it. (Damn communists, making me pay for your healthcare). The solution? The government is requiring people to have insurance or pay a tax penalty. (Damn communists, making me pay for my own healthcare). So which is it? Do you want to complain about paying for someone else's healthcare or complain about paying for your own? (Can I just go back to complaining about the damn communists?)

 

[Guest]

The government shouldn't be in bed with the health insurance and pharmaceutical companies. If they weren't in bed with each other, health insurance would be dramatically cheaper and Obamacare wouldn't be needed.
Just think of all the senators and representatives that have stocks in companies that sell health insurance or produce and sell medicine. Take that personal gain away from them, and healthcare could actually be free or dirt cheap.

I think people that need assistance should be given assistance but I don't think others should be forced to pay a penalty if they want to roll the dice. Maybe if America stopped droning the shit out of the Middle East or spying on its citizens, healthcare costs would be cheaper. Just a thought.

 

[Retail Girl]

If they want to "roll the dice" and lose, then it's the rest of us who have to pay.

 

[redeye58]

Maybe Big Blue, United, Aetna, et al should go back to being non-profit like they USED to be.
Once it became 'for profit', that's when costs began rising, denials of care/coverage & every other element that creates a medical crisis. It takes a LOT of money to hire all the staffers needed to sift thru to determine what will be covered & what will be disallowed.
During congressional hearings they held for overhauling the bankruptcy codes, it was shown that nearly 2/3 of bankruptcy filings were a result of medical crisis; people were in deep debt because of a medical catastrophe (terminal illness, car accident, difficult birth, etc). Most HAD insurance but their coverage was denied so they racked up huge bills while appealing. Many lost jobs, some had to sell their businesses/house/personal property & then they were told that, under the new rules, they couldn't declare bankruptcy but were expected to pay it back.

 

[Signkitty]

The government shouldn't be in bed with the health insurance and pharmaceutical companies. If they weren't in bed with each other, health insurance would be dramatically cheaper and Obamacare wouldn't be needed.
Just think of all the senators and representatives that have stocks in companies that sell health insurance or produce and sell medicine. Take that personal gain away from them, and healthcare could actually be free or dirt cheap.

I think people that need assistance should be given assistance but I don't think others should be forced to pay a penalty if they want to roll the dice. Maybe if America stopped droning the shit out of the Middle East or spying on its citizens, healthcare costs would be cheaper. Just a thought.

Healthcare costs before the ACA were just as high if not higher. Its not the ACA thst makes healthcare expensive its greed from the insurance companies.

 

[commiecorvus]

Interestingly enough this year has been the slowest growth in the growth of cost of health care since the sixties.

National health care

spending, the amount of money we spend as a country, is rising at historically low rates.

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dr...sts-health-care-costs-really-are-slowing-down

 

[Guest]

Healthcare could be free if congress wasn't in bed with healthcare insurance. You shouldnt be forced to buy something. You don't have to have car insurance so why can't that be the same for health insurance?

 

[Retail Girl]

Healthcare could be free if congress wasn't in bed with healthcare insurance. You shouldnt be forced to buy something. You don't have to have car insurance so why can't that be the same for health insurance?

You have to have car insurance if you have a car. So if you have any sort of health (good, bad, indifferent) then shouldn't you have to have health insurance?

 

[Guest]

What if you never have the need to use it? Life is about taking risks. I shouldn't be required to buy something so others get a free ride.

 

[commiecorvus]

What if you never have the need to use it? Life is about taking risks. I shouldn't be required to buy something so others get a free ride.

It's not so they get a free ride, it's so you don't get a free ride if an accident happens.
Cars and health, horrible shit happens that you don't plan on and all of a sudden you need so much money it ain't funny.
Right now the only system we've got to come up with that kind of scratch in a hurry is insurance.
Unless you are one of those very disciplined people who can save 10% of your paycheck every month, then you are going to need insurance.

 

[Guest]

Still shouldn't be a requirement in life. You aren't required to buy car insurance so health insurance should be the same. Life insurance also isn't a requirement. Add flood insurance to the list as well.

When it comes to health insurance, you should pay for what you want and have freedom of choice. Uncle Sam shouldn't be forcing you to pick a plan that they think is right for you or be forcing you to buy anything. Liberals are supposed to be champions of "choice" right?


And again, do not let any politician be in bed with health insurance companies and you will have cheaper health insurance costs. I don't care if you're a Republican or Democrat. You shouldn't be allowed to profit off that crap while serving in office. Even better, you shouldn't be allowed to profit off anything that you could vote on while serving in office.

 

[commiecorvus]

Uh, most states require that you have basic collision insurance.
It might not cover you but it will cover anybody you hit.
If you don't own the car completely the bank will require you to have coverage to make sure they don't have eat their share.

The whole thing about picking what you want is fine and dandy but hardly likely.
You will get to pick what the insurance companies want you to pick, or your job wants you to pick, you don't have a real choice at all.
At least the government has said the insurance company can't rip you off or cut you off when they think you've cost them too much, and that your company has to cover your kids until they are older.
The bigger the pool of people covered the cheaper is all is, so yes we need to make sure everybody gets covered.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Hey folks, don't forget to do your wellness check to get your 300.00 by December 31st, if you have medical benefits.

 

[commiecorvus]

Wow, that's some serious resurrection of a dead thread.
And with a comment that makes very little sense.
I'm impressed.

 

[commiecorvus]

Never mind you are a spammer, that explains everything.