My son was denied health insurance!!!!!

[Little Panda RN]

I just really need to vent. My son is a truck driver and over the last few years he has put on some weight. He knows he needs to lose the extra weight and he is trying to do so. He is 6' 4" and weights 318 pounds.

He recently was offered insurance through the company he works for and the insurance company denied coverage due to his Height/Weight. That is exactly what it says "coverage denied due to Height/Weight".

Now I am sorry but he is only 23 years old, it is not like he has been over wieght all his life. But since he is now considered obese he is not elligble for health coverage. This is a crock if you ask me:angryfire. What has our health care come too? Pretty soon insurance companies will be dropping those from their policys due to being overweight.

I am just so overwhelmed by this! What is my son to do now? He is trying to lose the weight, he is a wonderful young man, trying to make an honest living but is unable to get healthcare coverage.

I wish I had all the money in world so no one would ever have to be turned down for the healthcare that they deserve. I am so saddened to think that he may have to go the rest of his life without insurance.

What is a mother to do! Sad, Sad, day.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

A nurse practitioner frightened my then 36 year old daughter. She took the time to educate and motivate her using flip charts and such.

My daughter told me yesterday that 3 1/2 years ago she could barely lift 20 pounds. Now she is strong, vegan, and self confident.

She will celebrate her 40th birthday next month at 17% body fat!

Without access to the right healthcare provider she could still be >200 pounds and feeling bad about herself.

[jeolsz]

Wow- you make lots of assumptions, don't you? FWIW, I am not overweight, I don't smoke, and I don't drink. I have had to lose post-pregnancy weight before, so I can understand the value of having a strong support system. I found some of that support here at Allnurses in the Healthy Living thread.

You also seem to spend a lot of time watching TV, and getting your inspiration from that. I'm glad that works for you, even if it is a sedentary activity.

The Biggest Loser works, because they incorporate a strong support network into their program. They have some very good workout videos, BTW. Check them out if you want to be inspired by them in a non-sedentary manner.

Don't get your back up !.. Sounds like a drink now and then might do you some good!.. Actually according to the latest studies, a drink a day might actually be good for you. And yes I do have time to be sedentary to watch TV in the evening, because I do my work outs in the morning.

I don't remember calling you fat, just thinking maybe you have your own bad habits ,as we all do, that you may not have under control.

Sorry if I come across bratty, but I am a strong believer in good health habits and absolutely hate when people make excuses for bad habits... We all have them.. own up to it. Don't tell me you don't have time, I'd much rather hear I don't want to exersize and this is the choice I have made for myself.

[jeolsz]

A nurse practitioner frightened my then 36 year old daughter. She took the time to educate and motivate her using flip charts and such.

My daughter told me yesterday that 3 1/2 years ago she could barely lift 20 pounds. Now she is strong, vegan, and self confident.

She will celebrate her 40th birthday next month at 17% body fat!

Without access to the right healthcare provider she could still be >200 pounds and feeling bad about herself.

And I'm sure that motivated her and gave her the reason to change. But with out that inner strength and sense of self control, it might not have been possible.. Point being.. motivation is different for everyone.. it is very personal.. support can help and it can also be free if you know where to look. I don't necessarily think it takes a medical professional or an expensive program or gym to achieve change.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

I don't necessarily think it takes a medical professional or an expensive program or gym to achieve change.

It does take a medical professional, if their lipids and A1c are out of whack, if they have cardiac issues, thyroid issues, HTN, etc. A non-medical professional is not educated enough to tell a person not to exercise when their glucose levels are >300 (or 250 if ketones are +), or if their BP or LDL are too high. Nor are they educated enough to offer help beyond motivation. Motivational assistance is a great start, but it doesn't offer enhanced support that some may need. Sometimes, it takes a medical professional to educate, and help get those things under control enough for the person to be able to exercise.

Why downplay your own worth and knowledge as a nurse in educating people?

[jeolsz]

It does take a medical professional, if their lipids and A1c are out of whack, if they have cardiac issues, thyroid issues, HTN, etc. A non-medical professional is not educated enough to tell a person not to exercise when their glucose levels are >300 (or 250 if ketones are +), or if their BP or LDL are too high. Nor are they educated enough to offer help beyond motivation. Motivational assistance is a great start, but it doesn't offer enhanced support that some may need. Sometimes, it takes a medical professional to educate, and help get those things under control enough for the person to be able to exercise.

Why downplay your own worth and knowledge as a nurse in educating people?

I think you are making weight loss and life style change more complicated than it should be for most people. Certainly continuing on the same path of self destruction can be just as dangerous if not more..

I'm not talking about doing triathalons in the first week.. How about taking a walk and eating a piece of fruit instead of a bowl of ice cream as a start..

I have to agree, though, many people carry emotional and mental issues with them that inhibit weight loss and successful life style change, and for them psychiatric support might be essential.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

I think the height weight charts put out by the insurance companies actually do more harm than good. I am skinny at 280 and the weight charts say I should weigh 225. I am not alone in this phenomenon.

I think setting BMI goals would just be better overall for achieving the changes we would like to see.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

I think long term adherence to change is better in the presence of a support group.

[missjennmb]

This is just outrageous!!! Where do these insurance companies get the idea that one life is better than another. "Oh your to fat and not worth the money it would take to keep you healthy". I am just so appalled and sickened by all of this.

I wish the best of health to your husband and you also.

that is what happens when you have private insurance companies taking care of our health... this is one reason why IMO government sponsored healthcare would be so much better. They would not be more concerned with bottom line than with a person's health. As long as private industry takes care of our health, its ALWAYS going to be a system of comparing cost of insuring with cost of paying out.

[Tippy-ta-ta]

The incentive is one's health. I spend 8 hrs/day educating people on the benefits of wt loss, healthy diet, and exercise, according to evidence-based standards. None of my patients are taking weight loss meds, and most are able to see results within 3 months if they adhere to their individualized plan. Education & support works better than leaving them to figure out things by themselves (for example, through TV commercials, as previously mentioned by someone else).

then why can't insurance compainies pay for that education? I'm sure it's not free..there are some people who DON'T know how to eat healthy. With the way food are marketed now a days and all the warnings with Atkins diets and the likes. What is healthy foods now and what is not. Just because you buy it in a grocery store does not make it healthy. how do we as the consumer know what is truly organic if we don't grow it ourselves?

[ninja2011]

I just recently stopped working for bariatric surgeon and it opened my eyes to the American obesity problem. It is bad. I used to think people all overweight people were just lazy. I believe that America does make excuses for being overweight more than other countries. We have bigger portions and bigger everything so its no wonder people are getting fat. Yes people are responsible for their actions but acceptance of being overweight is the problem. People often wait until they are much bigger before they take action and by then its so difficult. Other countries normal portions are half, if not less than American standards. For many of the people I talked to everyday it was a struggle to lose or keep the weight off all their lives. For some controlling eating habits and exercising was all they needed, not to mention a BIG push of encouragement.

The people my heart went out to the most were the ones who had 3 or more co-morbities, a lifetime of genetically predisposed obesity, tried everything to lose and guess what they had really needed surgery to help keep their weight down. At this office they not only did the surgery but required nutrition classes and psychological support before and after. Unfortunately either the insurance companies wouldnt cover or they had a BMI of 34 which was the cut off for any bariatric surgery to be covered by any insurance. Sad isnt it? Then the only thing they can do get fatter to pass the 35 BMI or 40 if they didnt have any other conditions. I also dont agree with the BMI scale what is most important is to look at one's fat percentage and activity tolerance level. But BMI is, on "average" a good indicator at least to insurance companies.

[Chico David, BSN, RN]

Just some thoughts stimulated by the last few posts on this thread.

I'm a cardiac rehab nurse and work daily with helping folks lose weight, lower BP, control diabetes, establish exercise programs etc.

We are experiencing a vast epidemic of obesity in this country, and yet people themselves are not fundamentally different than they were 50 years ago. What has changed is the social context in which people live. There are many pieces of the puzzle, and I don't pretend to be able to tell you the order in which they rank, but here are a few:

1. Due to vastly over exagerated fear, many folks no longer feel comfortable letting their kids play outside and just be kids, so they stay inside doing sedentary activities. The society is NOT more dangerous or violent than it used to be, but there is much more news coverage of violence, so people believe it is worse.

2. Enormous marketing of sweetened soft drinks in huge portion sizes. When I was a child, a normal serving of a soft drink was 8 oz. Now servings 2 and 3 times as large are the norm.

3. Food is just more seductive than it used to be. 50 years ago, there were very few food choices in America. My family had about 7 different evening meals and they weren't all that exciting. Now, we have an incredible variety of really tasty stuff. Better quality, more choice, larger portions. And we eat out a lot more - again, in my childhood, which I think was fairly normal middle class in the 50s, a meal out happened less than once a month in normal times. Usually when we were going somewhere and away from home. It was not a routine event.

4. Being fat here is more convenient than in other countries. I've traveled in Europe and being fat there would be really hard! Can't park next to your house or job. Narrow doorways, steep stairs, narrow aisles in the store. Fat people don't fit - literally.

5. Urban design that discourages walking. Strip mall development that can only be conveniently accessed by car. Long barren expanses of pavement, no shade or cover.

One more thought: Someone a couple comments up asked why insurance companies don't pay for the education and support to help people lose weight. Seems logical since they could save so many problems later. The trouble is that with our fragmented system, it's highly likely that by the time the payoff for that investment comes, the patient will be insured by someone else. How many times has your employer changed insurance plans in the last 10 years? In the countries with national systems, they know that the same system will cover someone all their life - so if the system invests money now to save much more later, that system will realize the saving. In the US it's likely to be a competitor that saves the money.

[Iam46yearsold]

My parents tried to purchase private health insurance, and were denied because they are diabetics. Apparently, the insurance company felt they would be paying out too much money in claims for the policy to ever be profitable or 'economically viable.' Diabetics do accrue significant medical costs, but...

When I purchased private health insurance 3 years ago, there was a stipulation regarding the weight of the policyholder. This insurance company would not issue policies to males who weighed in excess of 300 pounds, or females who weighed in excess of 200 pounds.

The insurance industry is all about boosting the profit margin, and nothing about caring for humankind. Anyone who dares to think differently about them is simply being gullible and foolish.

Which is all an excellent reason to support Universal Health Care