Work & Insurance are overstepping big time

My health insurance is through my husbands work.
It's ok, but every year it seems to get more and more invasive.

They ask for biometric screening to avoid the tobacco surcharge. It's pretty significant so we do it. I know
whenever they draw blood they may be looking for other things, who knows. Well they have my DNA that's for sure.

Now they have a health tracking website. You go online and track stuff, and they try to encourage people to make better health choices.
It delves into everything from sleep, debt, stress, weight, nutrition, exercise etc. You get the point, they want you to be healthier and basically be less of a cost to the company and insurance.

New this year, they want you to track your "goals", it is automatically set to blast your goal socially among other workers & their spouses. You can toggle to make it private. If you do it publically, it is seriously like that episode of Black Mirror, Nosedive! They want others to "cheer" you on. How creepy is that. I don't even know these people, again my husband works there, not me, but I'm required to do this.

Now here is where is gets even worse. For some items they want you to do an online "journal". YEAH right! F that! I can't believe people are actually falling for this and writing stuff down. They also want you to sync your device and add the mobile app. I seriously wonder if they coincidentally fire certain people based on this info. Of course companies say they don't. I know I've been privy to a lot of confidential info in my career and sometimes decisions are made from things you wouldn't think of.

This is how it all starts. People willingly give away their freedom one bit at a time.. This is sad.

a reply to: JAGStorm

My health insurance is through my husbands work.

^

the problem

Basically one day it will be illegal to be ill [as in higher insurance, no payout from work, doctors refuse to see you etc], unless you can show that you have done everything [and I mean that literally everything - no alcohol, no smoking, no salt, no gluten, no sunbathing, no sugar, 5 a day, 2L of liquid a day, exercise for at least 20min etc] you are required to do.

Was it the film The Island [where they breed clones for rich people as organ donors] where he pees in the toilet and the toilet is analysing it and telling him he needs to cut down on salt [or something like that]?
That scene is so close it makes me shiver.

I hate all that with a vengeance, what is wrong with owning my own body and doing to it whatever I want and when it gets ill from it I have to live with the consequences? Like in the good old days...
It's almost as if your body doesn't even belong to you any more.
Add to that surveillance and work and you know that you are just a drone.

originally posted by: Hecate666
Basically one day it will be illegal to be ill [as in higher insurance, no payout from work, doctors refuse to see you etc], unless you can show that you have done everything [and I mean that literally everything - no alcohol, no smoking, no salt, no gluten, no sunbathing, no sugar, 5 a day, 2L of liquid a day, exercise for at least 20min etc] you are required to do.

Was it the film The Island [where they breed clones for rich people as organ donors] where he pees in the toilet and the toilet is analysing it and telling him he needs to cut down on salt [or something like that]?
That scene is so close it makes me shiver.

I hate all that with a vengeance, what is wrong with owning my own body and doing to it whatever I want and when it gets ill from it I have to live with the consequences? Like in the good old days...
It's almost as if your body doesn't even belong to you any more.
Add to that surveillance and work and you know that you are just a drone.

No the episode is all about social score and trying to be perfect. Nobody is perfect, we are humans. It's insane.

It is interesting that they are picking on smokers right now. They know non-smokers hate smoker/smoking, so it's an easy target. This is how they are easing people into accepting it.
Obese people will be next. Just watch, anyone with a overweight reading, or obese BMI will be next.

a reply to: JAGStorm

You are exhibiting signs of severe anti-social and community uncooperative cognition which I believe crosses the threshold necessary to prompt a mental health screening which must be completed within the next 10 days. If you refuse to comply we may find it necessary to drop you from the company health insurance. As well, if we can't determine that you are NOT a threat to yourselves or others, and if you have children, we may find it necessary to drop your children from the health insurance plan as well.

Thank you for your cooperation.

HR Health and Wellness Compliance Team.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Frankly, I'm utterly amazed they haven't gone after the morbidly obese already. They are such a simple target and they are the segment most prone to diabetes which costs the insurance companies hundreds of millions each year.

That's got to be coming soon.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Corporate profit is more important than God.

a reply to: TonyS

no - first they will " target " the " super morbidly obese "

yup it is a valid tag :

overweigh

obese

morbid obese

super morbid obese

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: JAGStorm

Frankly, I'm utterly amazed they haven't gone after the morbidly obese already. They are such a simple target and they are the segment most prone to diabetes which costs the insurance companies hundreds of millions each year.

That's got to be coming soon.

There is only one reason they haven't gone after the morbidly obese, a lot of them ARE the morbidly obese, but obviously a lot of them aren't smokers!

I don't see the problem. This is capitalism at work and it only makes sense that people who take care of themselves should pay a lower rate.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: JAGStorm

Corporate profit is more important than God.

Do you really think the government wouldn't do the same thing?

Maybe this was one of the goals of Obama Care. Make health insurance mandatory, then put all this in place to have full control over your life.

I'm pretty certain there would be backlash from tobacco, alcohol and fast food companies though. They'd probably let you ingest THC products and have other "healthier" habits to replace all that like Star Trek's synthihol drinks and the like.

It makes living on the street and the hobo lifestyle more appealing everyday if this is where it is all heading.

originally posted by: Bone75
I don't see the problem. This is capitalism at work and it only makes sense that people who take care of themselves should pay a lower rate.

I'm healthier than the vast majority of people, yet I have a problem with this.

The veil between work and home is becoming non-existent.

a reply to: JAGStorm

The veil between work and home is becoming non-existent.

remind us who you work for ?

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Uh, well I never heard that one before.

My question is..............if by Super morbidly obese is meant those poor souls who can't even get out of bed............how many are in the work place to begin with?

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: Bone75
I don't see the problem. This is capitalism at work and it only makes sense that people who take care of themselves should pay a lower rate.

I'm healthier than the vast majority of people, yet I have a problem with this.

You give them your blood to save money.

Obviously your money is more important than your privacy.

No one is holding a gun to your head.

originally posted by: Bone75
I don't see the problem. This is capitalism at work and it only makes sense that people who take care of themselves should pay a lower rate.

No, people who strain the healthcare system the most should pay the highest costs, period. "Take care of themselves" is an arbitrary misnomer at best, particularly in a society with special protected classes of people. Is the fat guy really a bigger cost risk than a promiscuous gay who will likely end up with something a lot worse and more costly than a heart attack in his 60s? Is the woman who socially smokes a few times a week actually going to cost the insurer more than the woman with genetic markers and a family history of breast cancer? Why is it that the system can be used to monitor and discourage an employee from enjoying a periodic drink but the same system shields a chronic alcoholic as long as they self-identify and dumps hundreds of thousands of dollars into treatment of that "disease" when the "treatments" almost always fail to actually change anything long term and extending the life of a hard core alcoholic simply skyrockets they likelihood of massive down the road costs for crap like liver disease and stroke?

It has eff-all to do with those who "take care of themselves" and everything to do with the whole thing being a sham.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Who is the insurance provider if I may ask? Just wanting to be sure I stay well away from them.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

It has eff-all to do with those who "take care of themselves" and everything to do with the whole thing being a sham.

THIS

You give them your blood to save money. Obviously your money is more important than your privacy. No one is holding a gun to your head.

Every person/family has to decide what they are willing to give up. I can't afford to not have the savings from being smoke free, it is very significant. At some point, it won't even be a question, it will be mandatory.