Insurance providers will spend a lot of money telling you, advertising aimed at "taking better care of yourself" (that they should "need" to do so is a different, though sad, indictment).
Go ahead, then. Tell 90% of insurance carriers that you have committed to, documented yoga, gym attendance, walks every day. Ask them what premium reduction they're prepared to offer as a result. Be ready to hold the phone away from your ear as they laugh.
Ask them how much they'll contribute to your weight loss efforts.
Then ask how much they'll cover of your gastric bypass surgery.
The problem with health insurance in this country is that it's not "insurance" at all. It's amortized healthcare. And surprisingly enough, most insurance providers are not charities. They make a profit off of what you are charged.
Pre-existing conditions are a fun one. Actuaries have spend countless hours analyzing and modeling segments of the populace. Along comes John Smith. He's seeking healthcare. He happens to have a pre-existing condition, say, gout. But he's young, in his thirties. He gets a gout flare-up once, maybe twice a year, and a dose of OTC NSAIDs is enough to take care of it. He knows that in time, his condition is likely to worsen, and that he'll need more active management.
But right now? He doesn't care. He's not seeking out health insurance as a result of his condition. He's just looking out for his general health.
The preponderance of a population to have this condition, and ergo this average healthcare cost, hasn't increased by virtue of him wanting insurance. But you watch, as a carrier will deny him (or at least subject him to extensive waitlisting).
> Go ahead, then. Tell 90% of insurance carriers that you have committed to, documented yoga, gym attendance, walks every day. Ask them what premium reduction they're prepared to offer as a result. Be ready to hold the phone away from your ear as they laugh.
I don't know how widespread it is, but the two major insurance carriers in my area (Rochester, NY) both have plans where can earn credits (up to ~$500) for healthy behaviour - gym memberships, yoga, etc.
> The preponderance of a population to have this condition, and ergo this average healthcare cost, hasn't increased by virtue of him wanting insurance. But you watch, as a carrier will deny him (or at least subject him to extensive waitlisting).
This, definitely. I know at least one person denied health insurance due to seeing a therapist for three months while having a rough spot in high school. It was nearly a decade ago and the therapist wrote a letter along the lines of "situational, no ongoing issue, no condition remains". No dice.
