Health Insurance Frustration
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MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »does your company pay for your health insurance? If yes, then they can require said health screenings as they have an interest in keeping health care costs low, and healthier people have less medical cost as they go to the dr less frequently...
We pay for our own health benefits. The wellness screening offers us a discount on our insurance. With the non smoking discount I pay approx 170-180 a month.
Be happy they're providing this discount. I pay $420 a month to satisfy a law-basically, it's no insurance, when you think about it. The deductible is $6250 a year. Prescriptions and visits, go toward the deductible. I would be more than happy to do any type of physical if someone was going to knock off $250 bucks a month!0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »does your company pay for your health insurance? If yes, then they can require said health screenings as they have an interest in keeping health care costs low, and healthier people have less medical cost as they go to the dr less frequently...
We pay for our own health benefits. The wellness screening offers us a discount on our insurance. With the non smoking discount I pay approx 170-180 a month.
Be happy they're providing this discount. I pay $420 a month to satisfy a law-basically, it's no insurance, when you think about it. The deductible is $6250 a year. Prescriptions and visits, go toward the deductible. I would be more than happy to do any type of physical if someone was going to knock off $250 bucks a month!
I never said I was unhappy with the insurance. People missed the point/maybe I didn't make it clear enough. I'm worried about how I am going to handle pressure from them wanting me to lose weight, because since they've announced this 3 days ago, I've gotten a letter in the mail, two emails, and a phone call about it. I understand why they're doing it, I just need to figure out how to not let it get to me.0 -
This. Usually if insurance is employer organized, the employees are getting it for discount. My employer provides health insurance. We pay the monthly premium, but it is cheaper than it would be if we bought it ourselves.I'm a little frustrated at something my company is doing. I understand that it's for the benefit of the employees, but it makes me a little upset because I feel like it's being pushed on us.We pay for our own health benefits. The wellness screening offers us a discount on our insurance. With the non smoking discount I pay approx 170-180 a month.
The first thing you said seems to hint that this is health insurance offered (meaning at least partially paid for) by your employer, but...
If you pay for your own health insurance and your employer contributes nothing, why not go with another company altogether that does things differently?0 -
Use it to motivate you.MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »Liftng4Lis wrote: »MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »does your company pay for your health insurance? If yes, then they can require said health screenings as they have an interest in keeping health care costs low, and healthier people have less medical cost as they go to the dr less frequently...
We pay for our own health benefits. The wellness screening offers us a discount on our insurance. With the non smoking discount I pay approx 170-180 a month.
Be happy they're providing this discount. I pay $420 a month to satisfy a law-basically, it's no insurance, when you think about it. The deductible is $6250 a year. Prescriptions and visits, go toward the deductible. I would be more than happy to do any type of physical if someone was going to knock off $250 bucks a month!
I never said I was unhappy with the insurance. People missed the point/maybe I didn't make it clear enough. I'm worried about how I am going to handle pressure from them wanting me to lose weight, because since they've announced this 3 days ago, I've gotten a letter in the mail, two emails, and a phone call about it. I understand why they're doing it, I just need to figure out how to not let it get to me.
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »does your company pay for your health insurance? If yes, then they can require said health screenings as they have an interest in keeping health care costs low, and healthier people have less medical cost as they go to the dr less frequently...
We pay for our own health benefits. The wellness screening offers us a discount on our insurance. With the non smoking discount I pay approx 170-180 a month.
Be happy they're providing this discount. I pay $420 a month to satisfy a law-basically, it's no insurance, when you think about it. The deductible is $6250 a year. Prescriptions and visits, go toward the deductible. I would be more than happy to do any type of physical if someone was going to knock off $250 bucks a month!
Ouch. This really reminds me how lucky I am that my employer provides us with a discounted plan. Mine (with my employer's help) is about $270 less than yours a month. Ouch. Ouch.0 -
Don't let this dampen your spirit! Make this a positive incentive and try to get to the target BMI. After all, you are using MFP with a similar goal.0
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The fun in the health insurance world is just about to start. Being rejected is what got me started. If the rate offered by your company is better than what you can get on the market, then it's still a win. Personally, I found that it was better for me to go to the market than go on my wife's insurance. They offered her for free but up charged the rest of the family. However, as I said, the fun is just about to begin. I don't want any part of their shenanigans. I'm going to be healthy and stay healthy until I can't.0
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Breathe. Let it go. They are a business doing what they can to keep costs down.
In the meantime, you are doing what works for you. Keep yourself on track by staying focused on what is working.
This and.....
You sound like a put together person who understands the things that push your buttons in a negative way. I understand getting annoyed at being pushed by an outside agency. But .....
Vent and forgot. Pursue your own goals. You'll probably meet theirs by meeting yours but that is not that important. Ignore them and their blunt instruments. They are trying to get to the people who haven't even started. Not the ongoing successes like you. Hold that thought. It is not targeted at you. You know what works for you. The rest is noise.
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MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »I'm a little frustrated at something my company is doing. I understand that it's for the benefit of the employees, but it makes me a little upset because I feel like it's being pushed on us.We pay for our own health benefits. The wellness screening offers us a discount on our insurance. With the non smoking discount I pay approx 170-180 a month.
The first thing you said seems to hint that this is health insurance offered (meaning at least partially paid for) by your employer, but...
If you pay for your own health insurance and your employer contributes nothing, why not go with another company altogether that does things differently?
To be honest with you I don't know if they contribute or not. I know that if I didn't get the non smoking discount it would cost me around 300 a month, just for me. It's good insurance, and I'm grateful my company offers it. I actually love my job 99% of the time besides this.
The real issue I am having is more to do with my company shoving the fact that they want us to lose weight down our throats. I got a phone call and two emails in two days about this, and they sent a letter to my house about it. I don't mind that they're offering an extra incentive. I just don't like all the spam it comes with. I don't feel personally victimized or anything like that, it's just hard to handle since I don't handle outside pressure well when it comes to my weight. This is really my own personal issue with myself- I need to not psych myself out.
I get this, and I think venting a little or at least talking through and understanding why it bothers you is probably a good way to prevent yourself from reacting to it in a negative way and maybe even getting to a place where it can motivate you.
I understand, since I have weird reactions like that myself. I avoided going to the doctor for a few years (not claiming this is reasonable, and I would have gone if I'd needed to) because I knew she'd want to talk about my weight and having outside pressure like that (saying what I already knew) is likely to be counterproductive for me, whereas when I got to a place where I was ready to lose I lost pretty easily on my own. Stupid, I know it's stupid, but it's still true. Yet others have said they found their doctor getting involved to be helpful and wish it had happened sooner.
Oddly enough, once I had decided to lose weight on my own and was doing it (as you are now), I signed up for my insurance wellness evaluation and have enjoyed updating it with my new stats and all that. And similarly I did a DEXA scan and follow up where I enjoyed working toward the follow up date. I think it's all about whether it feels self-motivated or not for me, although I understand why the deadline thing could be unhelpful for someone else.
Anyway, it sounds like you have a handle on how to deal with it, even if it's not an ideal approach for you.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »I'm a little frustrated at something my company is doing. I understand that it's for the benefit of the employees, but it makes me a little upset because I feel like it's being pushed on us.We pay for our own health benefits. The wellness screening offers us a discount on our insurance. With the non smoking discount I pay approx 170-180 a month.
The first thing you said seems to hint that this is health insurance offered (meaning at least partially paid for) by your employer, but...
If you pay for your own health insurance and your employer contributes nothing, why not go with another company altogether that does things differently?
To be honest with you I don't know if they contribute or not. I know that if I didn't get the non smoking discount it would cost me around 300 a month, just for me. It's good insurance, and I'm grateful my company offers it. I actually love my job 99% of the time besides this.
The real issue I am having is more to do with my company shoving the fact that they want us to lose weight down our throats. I got a phone call and two emails in two days about this, and they sent a letter to my house about it. I don't mind that they're offering an extra incentive. I just don't like all the spam it comes with. I don't feel personally victimized or anything like that, it's just hard to handle since I don't handle outside pressure well when it comes to my weight. This is really my own personal issue with myself- I need to not psych myself out.
I get this, and I think venting a little or at least talking through and understanding why it bothers you is probably a good way to prevent yourself from reacting to it in a negative way and maybe even getting to a place where it can motivate you.
I understand, since I have weird reactions like that myself. I avoided going to the doctor for a few years (not claiming this is reasonable, and I would have gone if I'd needed to) because I knew she'd want to talk about my weight and having outside pressure like that (saying what I already knew) is likely to be counterproductive for me, whereas when I got to a place where I was ready to lose I lost pretty easily on my own. Stupid, I know it's stupid, but it's still true. Yet others have said they found their doctor getting involved to be helpful and wish it had happened sooner.
Oddly enough, once I had decided to lose weight on my own and was doing it (as you are now), I signed up for my insurance wellness evaluation and have enjoyed updating it with my new stats and all that. And similarly I did a DEXA scan and follow up where I enjoyed working toward the follow up date. I think it's all about whether it feels self-motivated or not for me, although I understand why the deadline thing could be unhelpful for someone else.
Anyway, it sounds like you have a handle on how to deal with it, even if it's not an ideal approach for you.
Thanks. I've always just been the kind of person who shuts down when it comes to pressure from other people. That is why in real life I have only told my fiance and my best friend that I'm even trying to lose weight. Everyone else, including my mom and my sisters don't know, because they'd want to get involved, and that would be too much for me. I am excited that I'm losing weight, but I almost don't want to tell anyone because for some reason I don't take the complement well in my head when they notice that I've lost weight.
I recently went to the lady doc for the first time in 2 years, and before she could even say anything about my weight I let her know I was using MFP to try to lose weight. I haven't been to a GP in years (although I'd like to go) because my best friend (who is 6ft tall and weighs about 100lb more than me) tells me all these horror stories about her experiences with doctors. She went to a doc with a yeast infection once and before she could even explain what was going on he started asking her if she'd ever considered weight loss surgery. When she said she wasn't there to talk about it, he refused to finish seeing her at all!0 -
I totally get your frustration with this! It's so intrusive. Yes I get that you have the option to not get the discount, and that it is on par with the nonsmoking discount. I still hate it.
Today, intrusions into our lives are offered as optional discounts (think discounts on car insurance for having tracking devices on our cars), tomorrow could be a nightmare. We are going to be so used to giving up privacy willingly that when we wish we could have less intrusion, we will be out of luck.0 -
I'm unclear why you see this as pressure from other people. You're not being told you have to lose weight or have to be a certain weight. The company is trying to save money and help it's employees save money. You're not upset you get rewarded for not smoking, but you're upset you won't get rewarded for being in the obese category of the BMI chart? It's just a discount you may not get this year and have something to look forward to getting next year. It's not a big deal. You're stressing yourself out over nothing.
I'm one of those people that has to pay my own insurance for $425 a month. If I was offered the options for discounts, I'd be thrilled. I'd get the one for not smoking, and with a BMI of 29.9, I'd be finding out the true cut off requirements and working my butt off to try to make sure that didn't turn into a 30 before I did my physical, but if it did, who cares? I'm already paying the regular amount, I'm not getting penalized and having to pay extra, and I'd know next year what discounts were available and what I had to hit to be eligible so I had a goal to work toward.
Just take a breath and stop looking at the whole thing as a personal assault. They have to inform everyone about what's going on. It's the law. They have to send letters. You're not being singled out. It wasn't that they got together, made a list of overweight people, and bombarded them with notifications. The size 2 people got all the same notices.0 -
stephaniels0416 wrote: »I'm unclear why you see this as pressure from other people. You're not being told you have to lose weight or have to be a certain weight. The company is trying to save money and help it's employees save money. You're not upset you get rewarded for not smoking, but you're upset you won't get rewarded for being in the obese category of the BMI chart? It's just a discount you may not get this year and have something to look forward to getting next year. It's not a big deal. You're stressing yourself out over nothing.
I'm one of those people that has to pay my own insurance for $425 a month. If I was offered the options for discounts, I'd be thrilled. I'd get the one for not smoking, and with a BMI of 29.9, I'd be finding out the true cut off requirements and working my butt off to try to make sure that didn't turn into a 30 before I did my physical, but if it did, who cares? I'm already paying the regular amount, I'm not getting penalized and having to pay extra, and I'd know next year what discounts were available and what I had to hit to be eligible so I had a goal to work toward.
Just take a breath and stop looking at the whole thing as a personal assault. They have to inform everyone about what's going on. It's the law. They have to send letters. You're not being singled out. It wasn't that they got together, made a list of overweight people, and bombarded them with notifications. The size 2 people got all the same notices.
I can quote the fact that I stated earlier that I don't feel personally victimized. I can also restate once again that I personally don't have a problem with them giving an added discount, and that I actually like my insurance/job etc.
The issue that was making me frustrated is I'm not personally sure how to handle added stress from an outside source when I'm trying to lose weight - because I personally do not handle this well. That's it. This is not so much a problem with my company/insurance etc, it's a problem that is me against myself.0 -
As for going to the doctor, just because your friend had a bad doctor doesn't mean you will. Ask around, research online, try a few out and find one you like. I, personally, hated the first Family Doctor I went to. She didn't mention losing weight, but she told me I needed my tonsils taken out and until I did, she wouldn't treat me for anything else. I never saw her again. After my dentist retired, it took three to find one I liked. I lucked out with my GYN. I researched, found the office's page on Facebook and read reviews and I love her. She's also never mentioned losing weight.
By starting out the appointment saying you know you need to lose weight, you're opening the door for the conversation. They can't exactly say "oh, no, you're fine." If what you're going for isn't directly related to your size (ie, sore throat, flu, pap, etc.) it's not relevant. On the other hand, if you're going for chest pains, sore joints, etc. it could be.
People aren't the same, doctor's aren't the same. You may love one a friend hates and you may hate one they love. That's why there are ton of them to choose from. Your friend being 100lbs heavier than you also puts her in different categories of risk than you which opens up discussions you may never need to have. Don't let her experiences keep you from going and getting/keeping yourself healthy.0 -
MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »stephaniels0416 wrote: »I'm unclear why you see this as pressure from other people. You're not being told you have to lose weight or have to be a certain weight. The company is trying to save money and help it's employees save money. You're not upset you get rewarded for not smoking, but you're upset you won't get rewarded for being in the obese category of the BMI chart? It's just a discount you may not get this year and have something to look forward to getting next year. It's not a big deal. You're stressing yourself out over nothing.
I'm one of those people that has to pay my own insurance for $425 a month. If I was offered the options for discounts, I'd be thrilled. I'd get the one for not smoking, and with a BMI of 29.9, I'd be finding out the true cut off requirements and working my butt off to try to make sure that didn't turn into a 30 before I did my physical, but if it did, who cares? I'm already paying the regular amount, I'm not getting penalized and having to pay extra, and I'd know next year what discounts were available and what I had to hit to be eligible so I had a goal to work toward.
Just take a breath and stop looking at the whole thing as a personal assault. They have to inform everyone about what's going on. It's the law. They have to send letters. You're not being singled out. It wasn't that they got together, made a list of overweight people, and bombarded them with notifications. The size 2 people got all the same notices.
I can quote the fact that I stated earlier that I don't feel personally victimized. I can also restate once again that I personally don't have a problem with them giving an added discount, and that I actually like my insurance/job etc.
The issue that was making me frustrated is I'm not personally sure how to handle added stress from an outside source when I'm trying to lose weight - because I personally do not handle this well. That's it. This is not so much a problem with my company/insurance etc, it's a problem that is me against myself.
But why is it added stress from an outside source? It has nothing to do with you. You've got your plan, you're doing well with it, and right up until you got that first notice you were doing great and happy. Stick with that. So you may not get a discount this year, so what? You've still made a lot of progress, you've got a plan, you're going to continue to make progress. Just let it go and don't worry about it.0 -
I know that health insurance can be cheaper for non-smokers, but I've never heard of a health insurance that overs lowers rates if your BIMI is below something.0
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Lynette4321 wrote: »I totally get your frustration with this! It's so intrusive.
Seriously. And what's next? As high tech diagnostic procedures become more commonplace and affordable, I wonder if insurance companies will require applicants to get PET scans to rule out the possibility of tumors before they insure.
If I could get scanned and tested and pay less because heart disease, cancer, etc. don't run in my family and I'm at a minimal risk, I'd be thrilled. The health care system is like paying into all the government programs. I make too much to ever be eligible for any of them if I ever needed them, but I still have to pay into them. Healthcare works the same way - the healthy people pay for the sick people. It's not fair, but it's how the world works.0 -
stephaniels0416 wrote: »MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »stephaniels0416 wrote: »I'm unclear why you see this as pressure from other people. You're not being told you have to lose weight or have to be a certain weight. The company is trying to save money and help it's employees save money. You're not upset you get rewarded for not smoking, but you're upset you won't get rewarded for being in the obese category of the BMI chart? It's just a discount you may not get this year and have something to look forward to getting next year. It's not a big deal. You're stressing yourself out over nothing.
I'm one of those people that has to pay my own insurance for $425 a month. If I was offered the options for discounts, I'd be thrilled. I'd get the one for not smoking, and with a BMI of 29.9, I'd be finding out the true cut off requirements and working my butt off to try to make sure that didn't turn into a 30 before I did my physical, but if it did, who cares? I'm already paying the regular amount, I'm not getting penalized and having to pay extra, and I'd know next year what discounts were available and what I had to hit to be eligible so I had a goal to work toward.
Just take a breath and stop looking at the whole thing as a personal assault. They have to inform everyone about what's going on. It's the law. They have to send letters. You're not being singled out. It wasn't that they got together, made a list of overweight people, and bombarded them with notifications. The size 2 people got all the same notices.
I can quote the fact that I stated earlier that I don't feel personally victimized. I can also restate once again that I personally don't have a problem with them giving an added discount, and that I actually like my insurance/job etc.
The issue that was making me frustrated is I'm not personally sure how to handle added stress from an outside source when I'm trying to lose weight - because I personally do not handle this well. That's it. This is not so much a problem with my company/insurance etc, it's a problem that is me against myself.
But why is it added stress from an outside source? It has nothing to do with you. You've got your plan, you're doing well with it, and right up until you got that first notice you were doing great and happy. Stick with that. So you may not get a discount this year, so what? You've still made a lot of progress, you've got a plan, you're going to continue to make progress. Just let it go and don't worry about it.
Part of why I needed to post about this is so I could figure it out and get it off my chest. I am already feeling better about it. If I didn't post this thread, I probably would have over analyzed it by myself, and it wouldn't have ended well. I do believe now that I will get past this small bump.0 -
I know that health insurance can be cheaper for non-smokers, but I've never heard of a health insurance that overs lowers rates if your BIMI is below something.
It's a new thing because they looked at the results from last year's wellness screen and something like 40% of us have BMI's in the "obese" category.
They're also offering us discounted memberships to weight watchers starting in March. I will not be taking part in that because I personally (and let me clarify- this is my opinion, I understand if you don't agree with me) don't like weight watchers because I feel like they don't promote healthy views on food. They used to claim that you could eat whatever you wanted in moderation, and the superbowl commercial they just recently put out basically equated junk food to deadly drugs.0 -
MindySaysWhaaat wrote: »shellenbarger007 wrote: »I understand being upset about your employer being too concerned with your health/private life, but I’m just curious: are you equally upset about the discount your employer offers for nonsmokers?
Smoking, like being overweight, can have negative health effects. If you are ok with your company offering a discount for one, what’s wrong with them offering a similar discount for the other?
I'm not exactly upset about the discount in general. I'm upset that I'm worried it's going to make me overthink the whole process because I don't do well with deadlines on things like this. I'm trying to take the least stressful approach to weight loss for myself, which is no deadline. I can't become obsessive about food again.
It's their deadline, not yours. As others have said, your insurance won't go away.0
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