Nurses General Nursing
Published Jun 23, 2007
These folks will be charged five dollars per paycheck. In 2009 employees will submit to cholesterol, weight, and b/p checks, if they have "issues" in these areas they will pay as well.
http://www.theindychannel.com/station/13556088/detail.html
UM Review RN, ASN, RN
1 Article; 5,163 Posts
Bad idea. Bad, bad.
Jolie, BSN
6,375 Posts
purple1953reading,
You raise some interesting and valid points about companies that self-insure. I have experienced some of those limitations as my husband's employer does so. The staff in my pediatrician's office looked at me like I was nuts when I told them that I would take my daughter to the health department for her vaccines since my insurance wouldn't cover them. They insisted that federal law required them to do so, until I explained that the company self-insures. By going to the health department, I saved hundreds of dollars. This is an example of why it is vital that each individual understands their policy and its limitations. I am sure that others would have gone ahead with vaccines in the doctor's office and then faced a huge bill.
lpn2rnstudent, LPN, RN
28 Posts
I had always wanted to work at Methodist Hospital, but it will not happen now. There are many wonderful hospitals in Indianapolis so I can be very picky when choosing my future employer. This is a massive step down on a very slippery slope. Right now it is weight, b/p, cholesterol levels, and smoking status, but in the future it will probably involve genetic testing. The funny thing is that I am at an ideal weight, I am not hyperrtensive, I do not have high cholesterol, and I am a non-smoker, but they have lost out on one heck of a nurse because of this policy.
Good luck with recruiting nurses Clarian health, this is a step in the wrong direction!
NeosynephRN
564 Posts
I think this is bad!!! My hospital has a decent program...I think...we have a wellness program...and you can enroll IF YOU WANT...and they will help you with like dietary, and a workout plan...all that stuff...and IF YOU WANT TO JOIN you get a discount on the health insurance premiums...if not then you pay the reg rate. It is completely up to you...and you can join and/or quit at any time!!
Tweety, BSN, RN
35,226 Posts
Whatever happened to giving those of us who don't smoke, have normal glucose, bp's and cholesterol discounts? There was a move in the 90's to reward us. One year I got discounted insurance, but that was it, just one year. To me this would be better approach.
FireStarterRN, BSN, RN
3,824 Posts
Uh, smokers take more from the healthcare system than non-smokers for a voluntary behavior, but it's just fine for the rest of us to foot the bill?
Uh, alcoholics and drug addicts take more from the healthcare system too, but ultimately we taxpayers foot the bill for their care.
Insurance is not about getting people healthy enough to be insureable; it's about taking care of people not if, but when we are ill or have a chronic disease. You could be the healthiest person in the world, but you will probably get sick at some point in your life.
Not many of us die healthy, but apparently the insurance companies wish that we would.
glasgow3
196 Posts
Uh, smokers take more from the health care system than non-smokers for a voluntary behavior, but it's just fine for the rest of us to foot the bill?
You are not footing the bill for these smokers; since Clarion self-insures that's who is footing the bill, so to speak.
That said, Clarian is a not-for-profit hospital system which has accumulated over 1.4 billion dollars as of 2004 in no small part made possible by paying no property taxes, sales taxes etc and by charging obscene markups on their products and services.
So if you are truly worried about the cost of health care, you might have better luck if you question why these so called not-for-profits are allowed to make millions in profits, pay exorbitant executive salaries, and accumulate billions in cash.
perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN
1,016 Posts
As far as smoking goes, don't a LOT of health insurance companies have different rates for smokers and non-smokers even of the same age? I know ours does. The point being that smoking is entirely voluntary and these other risk factors are, NONE of them, entirely voluntary, so it seems extremely unfair to increase premiums because of them.
Yep. The same way we foot the bill for someone who drives a motorcycle without a helmut, cocaineinduced cardio myopathy, problems of morbid obesity. It's the decent thing to do in my opinion.
Speaking of auto insurance, there are different rates based on age, gender, and place of residence. So, they want to charge people $5 per paycheck, big deal, you'd think the world was going to end.
WickedRedRN, BSN, RN
609 Posts
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6714660
Just heard this on the local news, a large hospital system plans on docking employee pay for those that smoke.
Now, I have not been a smoker for almost 7 years now, but I don't know about docking employee pay? It still is legal, most hospitals have no smoking policies on company property, but this extends into employee home life and off duty time.
I dont support smoking, but I think this is a slippery slope if employers are going to be allowed to dictate what you can or cannot do on your time off.
Comments? What do you all think?