Intrusive healthcare ins. questionares

[JetStar]

So has your healthcare ins. provider asked you about motorcycles or other leisure activities yet?

So with our new more expensive, less coverage, high deductable healthcare we now have to jump through all kinds of hoops to get credits towards our deductable. Included are biometric screening, health coach calls, and a great intrusive lifestyle questionare. Some of the questions are directed towards motorcycles. Do you ride a motorcycle? How many miles a year do you ride? How close to the speed limit do you drive? etc....
This concerns me. This year the carrot dangling is getting credits towards your deductable. Not trusting the insurance industry as far as I can throw them, I have to wonder when riding will result in being singled out and charged more for, or denied coverage.
They did not ask what type of bike or whether or not you wore a helmet (which I do), although they did ask if you wore a seatbelt while driving a car.
I sure as [censored] did not volunteer that I also ride a dirt bike, albeit not in competition, for which I know I have no coverage.

I fear the next questions will be; Do you have any firearms in your home? What is the HP / weight ratio of your vehicle. Do you ride an ATV. What is the crime rate in your area. Can we get a DNA sample?

I worry that eventually there will be a corporate approved list of leisure activitys and motorcycling and other activities I enjoy wont be on it. Perhaps I'm getting worked up about nothing?

 

[opus1]

Motorcycles, no.

My company has instutited a smoker-surcharge and I expect to see a fatty-tax go into effect at some point.

 

[Pablo]

Pretty smart thing for them to do. No sense people who don't take those known higher injury risks paying for those who do. The rates should be grouped into logical pools and the premiums adjusted to fit. That's insurance.

Your firearms statement would make little statistical sense - so IF that was on a questionnaire I too would get hot. There are no stats showing legitimate gun owners have increased injuries and death rates. In fact there are some stats showing many other activities are higher risk than hunting, for example.

 

[mrsilv04]

If I feel that the question is intrusive, I tell them what they want to hear, period.

How can they prove how many miles that you ride each year? My bike doesn't go to the dealer, so there aren't any odometer records.

How can they check your answer as to how fast you ride?

 

[Barkleymut]

Yup, just like in an interview....tell em what they want to hear.

 

[OldCowboy]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
If I feel that the question is intrusive, I tell them what they want to hear, period.


This can be a problem if they find out you lied. For instance, if you tell them you have a cruiser and get hurt on a dirt bike, they may deny coverage.


Quote:
How can they prove how many miles that you ride each year? My bike doesn't go to the dealer, so there aren't any odometer records.


When you have an accident on that bike and the odometer mileage shows a much higher mileage than would have accumulated based on the information you provided, they can reasonably assume you lied on your application. Then they may deny coverage.

Quote:
How can they check your answer as to how fast you ride?


When you tell them you never speed and the accident report states you were going 20 MPH above the speed limit at the time of the accident, they may deny coverage.

Health insurance companies are notorious for denying claims based on an inconsistency between your application and the facts at the time of the claim.

Somewhere on the application you signed, or the contract with the insurance company your employeer signed there is language to the effect that the insurance company has the right to demand additional documentation which may be material to their determination if a claim is a covered event. Failure to provide that documentation may result in denial of claim.

Insurance companies have huge teams of lawyers with decades of experience working for them. Betting that you are smarter than them is a sucker bet.

 

[JetStar]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Pretty smart thing for them to do. No sense people who don't take those known higher injury risks paying for those who do. The rates should be grouped into logical pools and the premiums adjusted to fit. That's insurance.

Your firearms statement would make little statistical sense - so IF that was on a questionnaire I too would get hot. There are no stats showing legitimate gun owners have increased injuries and death rates. In fact there are some stats showing many other activities are higher risk than hunting, for example.


It is really smart. I dissagree on the firearm opinion. You and I known what the real data says, but. It depends who's data they use or want to believe. Over the years I've seen some shady data on housholds with firearms and the likely hood of a shooting. They'll use the data they want to, or fabricate their own. We can always rely on corporations and lawmakers to use reliable unbiased data, right? Wait until they target something you enjoy, like working on your own car, exposing yourself to all those nasty carcinogens. How about home improvements with all those nasty power tools. How frequently do you use a ladder? I remember thinking that I'm missing my calling, I could come up with all kinds of reasons and ways to classify people and their risky behaviour.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Pretty smart thing for them to do. No sense people who don't take those known higher injury risks paying for those who do. The rates should be grouped into logical pools and the premiums adjusted to fit. That's insurance.

I agree.

 

[Pablo]

Just for the record I've challenged insurance more than several times. The two times they didn't see it my way, I voted with my feet and found a better rate.

 

[Cujet]

I'm a pilot, own a light aircraft, ride motorcycles, race cars, regularly exceed 500MPH and,,, broke (shattered) my arm horribly on a bicycle.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

It doesn't bother me in the least. My homeowners liability umbrella policy has an annual questionnaire that's several pages long and I don't mind answering any of them since it keeps me in a lower cost risk pool. I much prefer to be in a risk pool with those who keep themselves healthy and are as low a risk as I am, rather than being lumped together with people who seem to be perpetually sick, injured or otherwise unhealthy.

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
if I feel that the question is intrusive, I tell them what they want to hear, period.


Thank goodness that honestly was one of the character traits that my parents instilled in me at a young age. I can't imagine stooping that low, not to mention advertising that level of dishonesty and character on a discussion forum.

 

[65cuda]

I always figured that after the smoking the fatty people would be next, but within reason I have no problem with a questionair if it can help on my insurance rates. I would wonder why it didn't ask if you wore a helmet or if you competed. Cycle riders probably should have a higher rate since they are at more risk I would think. Better to be honest than lie since if they find out or suspect that you didn't tell the truth you might find yourself without coverage. Health insurance companies in the past have been rather creative in finding excuses to get out of paying.

 

[daves87rs]

Not something I'd get worked up over, nor worried about those questions either...

These companies can deny for nearly ANY reason, especially if it is going to cost the some money. And lawyer you out until you're broke.


Don't think it happens? My aunt works for one of the biggest health care companies in the US, and they stories she tells me are downright scary. Doesn't make a difference if you are young or old....

 

[eljefino]

I always figured that state required insurance to register a car or motorcycle provided primary payout for personal injury, with health insurance secondary.

In my state though the dollar amount is laughably small, a couple thousand bucks IIRC.

It's a disturbed racket, like if you go in for back pain and they try to pin it on work so they can get worker's comp, which pays better than regular health insurance.

But, shh, don't suggest a "single payer".

 

[morris]

what if i told them iam an assassin ? dont get scared im 63

 

[kb01]

I went through a similar process when I got my new insurance policy. I had to provide ten years worth of medical records and physician statements, as well as multiple questionnaires. I work for a small business, so my employer requires the exact same thing every year.

The most surprising part is the list of exclusions we had to agree to -- I'm not allowed to marathon run anymore, can't go rock climbing, and can't take my family whitewater rafting. And my wife isn't allowed to get pregnant. Or at the very least, if we do any of those things, insurance wont cover it. I vaguely recall motorcycle riding and mountain biking being on the list, luckily, I don't do either.

One would think that given the size of our deductible, $10,000, our insurer would give us a little more lead way because it's so unlikely we would ever have bills for more than $10,000.

The list of exclusions is rough but I'm saving close to $10,000/year in premiums because of it.

 

[Blaze]

This is not health insurance we are buying... its "bankruptcy insurance". My insurance wont even cover a 54 yr old guys physical.... my doctor had to cheat on the codes to get coverage for a simple (preventive medicine) physical I had few weeks ago. They don't even think if they caught something early it will save them lots of $$. When I send in my monthly bill I dont even think of it making me well... I think of it saving my assets (hay farm).

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Pretty smart thing for them to do. No sense people who don't take those known higher injury risks paying for those who do. The rates should be grouped into logical pools and the premiums adjusted to fit. That's insurance.

Your firearms statement would make little statistical sense - so IF that was on a questionnaire I too would get hot. There are no stats showing legitimate gun owners have increased injuries and death rates. In fact there are some stats showing many other activities are higher risk than hunting, for example.


More chances of hitting someone you know by accident (i.e. kids finding your gun that's not locked up, anger related shooting, etc).

 

[Shannow]

If you think that's intrusive, Australian Bureau of Statistics is running a health census.

If you are chosen, they will enter your home, ask you all sorts of lifestyle and health questions, take your personal measurements with a tape measure and scales, and ask for blood and urine samples. (these two are "optional", however according to harassees, they don't spell this out).

What they do spell out clearly is that failure to comply is $110 per person per day fine.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: morris
what if i told them iam an assassin ?


Ha Ha! That's great! The conversation would go something like this: Umm, Mr. Insurance man, I'm a mercenary, how much for life insurance? Health insurance? Car insurance?