[jeolsz]

Why is no one stating the obvious?.. It sounds like your son does not practice a healthy lifestyle. Everyone tip toes around the issue, blaming insurance companies and employers and others, but the real issue with much of our health care costs are people who don't take care the of the only body they have ( aside from future cloning of body parts). I used to smoke, and no one had trouble stating the obvious, smoking is bad for you.. why don't you quit. But I notice when it comes to the obese and sedantary, people don't always state the obvious. If you watched The Biggest Loser last season, a man was denied health coverge because of his weight. He was able to turn that around and became healthy thru a complete lifestyle change. And now that he has insurance he probably won't use it. Healthy eating and daily exersize along with adequate rest are manditory essentials in keeping down the cost of health care. And like the previous writers, insurance companies are in the business to make money.

[Hopefull2009]

We JUST covered a chapter on weight and nutrition.

Obesity is now considered A DISEASE.

[herring_RN]

Originally Posted by nursehelper

It is hypocritical to complain about the insurance company wanting to make profits. Insurance companies are not charities.

Insurance companies are in business to make a profit.
But people need care.
Isn't there a disconnect?

There used to be for profit fire fighting companies.

[nursehelper]

Insurance companies have to protect themselves because people will always try and find ways to under pay for premium services or in this case seek optimum coverage while exercising minimum effort to stay healthy.

[MoonRising]

I totally understand what the thread writer's son is going through. My husband is considered overweight and isn't eligible for private health insurance either. My husband is a truck driver with a rather large company and we were lucky to even get the crappy health insurance that they offered.

This insurance plan has a managable deductible and we pay 20% co-insurance instead of a copay. And even though its a PPO it seems to run like an HMO being that if you see someone outside of the coverage area they change their coverage level to 65%. Again this didn't seem like a problem until I had to go to the ER because I was physically assalted when I was 5 months pregnant. While they were working on making sure my baby would survive it never crossed my mind to ask if the doctor was contracted. When in the ER you get what ever doctor happens to be there. Well, this doctor turned out to be a "non contracted" doctor and now is demanding his own rather high fee ($500)in addition to the other bills we recieved during that visit, our out of pocket expense was around $1000, the cost of the entire visit was way more.

This seems like a scam to us because because when in emergency situations does anyone really have time to check if the health care provider is contracted? I contacted my insurance company about this and posed the scenario that when I go to have my baby (I'm now 9 months pregnant) if we need to do an emergency c-section will I again have this higher patient responsiblity? I was told "yes" and that the only way to avoid paying more money would be to ensure that all the doctors are contracted with the insurance company.

Does that make sense to anyone? I think I would be more concerned about my baby's life than checking coverage. I've already ensured that I went to a covered hospital what more can I possibly do during an emergency?

[jeolsz]

Originally Posted by Hopefull2009

We JUST covered a chapter on weight and nutrition.

Obesity is now considered A DISEASE.

So is alcoholism.. and that really doesn't get the sympathy vote!.. I think there is just so many overweight people, that it has become acceptable and sometime unapproachable. Even doctors don't address it as often as they should. Plain and simple.. if you life a healthy lifestyle, you will not be obese.

[Sabby_NC]

I do pray your son finds a way to get some health insurance and loses some weight in the process.
Tell him I shall pray very hard for him.
Please do not be sad as things always have a way of working out.

[Aprilhere]

It's a difficult situation, but honestly...I think MORE insurance companies should deny based on weight. MANY pre-existing conditions can't be helped. I don't think these people should be denied- there's nothing they can do about it.

BUT- weight loss IS possible. It takes hard work and discipline. It's not a medical condition, it's a lifestyle..and a self chosen one at that. If INS never denied anyone..our premiums would be even higher. Why should I pay more so other people can have coverage and destroy their own bodies? I work hard to live and eat healthy.

Sorry for those that I offended.

[mcubed45]

Originally Posted by Aprilhere

Why should I pay more so other people can have coverage and destroy their own bodies?

because America isn't about accepting responsibility for your own actions. it's about finding someone else to blame for your own decisions.

[Baptized_By_Fire]

Originally Posted by jeolsz

Why is no one stating the obvious?.. It sounds like your son does not practice a healthy lifestyle. Everyone tip toes around the issue, blaming insurance companies and employers and others, but the real issue with much of our health care costs are people who don't take care the of the only body they have ( aside from future cloning of body parts). I used to smoke, and no one had trouble stating the obvious, smoking is bad for you.. why don't you quit. But I notice when it comes to the obese and sedantary, people don't always state the obvious. If you watched The Biggest Loser last season, a man was denied health coverge because of his weight. He was able to turn that around and became healthy thru a complete lifestyle change. And now that he has insurance he probably won't use it. Healthy eating and daily exersize along with adequate rest are manditory essentials in keeping down the cost of health care. And like the previous writers, insurance companies are in the business to make money.

This appears to be more of an issue with the son's company's parameters for coverage than the insurance company's, sad to say.
Truck drivers, by the nature of their jobs are sedentary, and often do not have the benefit of eating healthy home-cooked meals, nor do they have the time to exercise. I have a job educating a large company's employees in improving their health when they have some of the more costly conditions, and the truck drivers I cover are on the road for days at a time, with little rest, little time for breaks, and the trucks they drive are not equipped with fridges/microwaves, etc. One would assume that if the company wants to help maintain the health of its truck-driving workforce, it would work out a better deal for covering this high-risk group.