New health insurance rules

[alarimer]

For the new plan year (which actually starts January 1), the state health plan (NC) is making us take a health self-assessment, name a primary care physician and certify that we are smoke-free, in order to get a discount on our premiums. Now, we have the option of not doing this, but we end up paying more, either in premiums for this plan, or in the no-premium plan that doesn't cover as much.

I think this is another good argument for a single-payer system. If everyone is in the same pool, then there is no need for intrusive questions. I filled out the assessment, but I lied. I lied about my weight, about how much I drink, and I made up numbers for cholesterol. I said I was under no stress at all and I got plenty of sleep, both of which are only true on some days.
And that I workout a whole lot more than I actually do.

Now, as far as I know, this is not the same as the old "evidence of insurability" and I don't think they check up on you, but I wonder if there will come a day when they will? Already, the website where I did this bombards me with letters and phone calls (until I told them to stop calling). "We can help you manage your disease." What disease? I don't have a disease. Maybe I'm just being paranoid because they claim this is all confidential, but it feels a little creepy to me. Will they tell my employer I haven't been to the dentist in a while or whatever? And I use any number of websites where I manage my workouts and social networking such as Facebook and Twitter. So I think real privacy has gone by the wayside, unfortunately.

Will it come to the point where they can fire people who don't follow the guidelines, whatever those may be? I think what creeps me out is the link between health insurance and employment. If someone has a condition (like MS) that is lifelong and requires a great deal of care and expense, why won't employers fire these people who raise their rates? I'm guessing that they can and do and the Affordable Care Act doesn't really prevent that, as far as I can tell.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. But I can sense a little "mission creep" on its way. For next year's plan, what will they have us do to lower our rates?

[Skittles]

1. you indicate another problem

the "rules" encourage people to be dishonest about the state of their health

[alarimer]

2. I did it just to be contrary and because it pissed me off.

So it's really a pointless jumping through hoops.

Because if they actually checked that you were telling the truth, no one would actually do it.

[bunnies]

3. I was fired after being diagnosed with a chronic disease.

To be fair, I could no longer do the job I was doing due to my condition, but they refused to transfer me to another part of the company despite my qualifications. In doing so, they also made it impossible for me to collect unemployment. Win-win for them. Lose-lose for me.

[LWolf]

4. The new "pre-existing conditions." nt