Good in theory not great in practice
Several years ago the county I work for made a dramatic change to their health care plan. They installed three different levels of coverage, BASIC, NORMAL and PREMIUM. As you move up the chain you have smaller deductibles and less overall out of pocket expense. The theory was if you put in the work to take care of yourself through a healthy lifestyle you are rewarded for doing so. The employer also benefits because presumably a healthy person will require far less cost in terms of health care dollars than someone that ignores their health.
When this was introduced I was all for it. The ideological part of me thought that this may actually provide enough incentive to encourage the masses of health ignorant people to do something about it. I recall even saying at the time that this would be a great model for a national healthcare plan.
Well in the years since it’s implementation I am sad to report that the basic human trait of laziness has won out. You can be a 400 pound chain smoker and STILL be on the premium health plan. The only difference is you have to complete a few “awareness” classes where they tell you it is stupid to be morbidly obese and to smoke. There is however no requirement for you to change in any manner whatsoever, you just have to attend the classes.
I imagine that it isn’t legal to tie insurance coverage to certain number thresholds like a BMI range or excluding people that smoke.
Well of course people caught on very quickly that although it is inconvenient to have to go to a few classes, it is far less inconvenient than taking a hard look at themselves and making permanent changes to their lifestyle. I have not seen even one example of somebody making any significant change after these health screenings when they are told the pitfalls they are facing with their health moving forward.
Hell I heard one woman complaining that the health advocate said she was right on the verge of being a diabetic due to her weight gain. She acted like the woman was out of line for telling her that. I almost choked on the irony of her ignorance.
As is normally the case, in most situations, human nature is just very disappointing.
Devyn
Your point on smokers is very well taken. Life insurance rates vary dramatically if an applicant is a smoker vs. non-smoker. As an employer, the rates I pay for my employees health insurance do not vary from employee to employee. A 20 year old non smoker’s monthly premium is the same as a 60 y/o overweight smoker’s. I pay one lump sum rate driven primarily on the previous years utilization. (This years overall premium has increased 28% vs. last year!) The single biggest thing that drives my rate up is women having babies. Having a significant number of women of child bearing age drives up my group rate more than any other single factor. According to the insurance company a pregnant woman costs them more then a smoker. The system is seriously f’d up. They offered a “seminar” to our employees to teach them how to properly use their benefits to best save the company costs in future premium increases. Their advise, “Don’t go to the Dr. or Emergency room unless it is absolutely necessary.” Gee thanks for that!