Wellness Screening

[luvn737s]

delete

 

[SparrowHawk]

Is this "drawing for a Mustang" merely a way to gather information on people to charge higher health insurance premiums for unhealthy conditions, or am I too suspicious?

You're to suspicious but only because you're ill informed.

Here's a little news flash for you. They already have the information. If you have Health Coverage through an employer you signed away any right to privacy you thought you had. Nearly ALL insurers can access to your health records. Unless you paid cash out of pocket any $9.00/hr clerk with access to something called M.I.B can tell you the last time you had a procedure, Doctors visit and access the Doctor's notes in your file. If you're married then the clerk could tell you the last time your wife had a pap smear.

Now BEFORE someone goes all HIPPA on me, that law refers to accidental disclosure of patient records. You give the insurance company carte blanche when you signed up for insurance, HIPPA has nothing to do with that.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. Problem is in this case is you've already been had.

 

[luvn737s]

That's assuming you've been treated for a particular illness or condition AND you paid for it through insurance.

I understand the rationale for charging those who actually consume more health insurance dollars higher premiums than those who rarely see a doctor, but I don't agree with lumping everyone who meets some arbitrary criteria into a risk pool and charging them more. Heck, they might die before ever seeing a doctor - what a ripoff!

I don't know if US is moving in the direction of stratifying the premiums based on risk factors or not, but it is becoming more common. If this "wellness drawing" is a step towards this (and I have no reason to believe it is, just asking for opinions) then at least be honest about it.

 

[SparrowHawk]

That's assuming you've been treated for a particular illness or condition AND you paid for it through insurance.

I understand the rationale for charging those who actually consume more health insurance dollars higher premiums than those who rarely see a doctor, but I don't agree with lumping everyone who meets some arbitrary criteria into a risk pool and charging them more. Heck, they might die before ever seeing a doctor - what a ripoff!

I don't know if US is moving in the direction of stratifying the premiums based on risk factors or not, but it is becoming more common. If this "wellness drawing" is a step towards this (and I have no reason to believe it is, just asking for opinions) then at least be honest about it.

Being self insured as US Airways is, I'm thinking the Wellness Screening is just that. No more, No Less. The benefit to US and the employee is if someone has High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes and things like that which require ongoing care it's in the best interest of the Company to jump on those things early as it's most cost effective to do so.

If they snag a few dozen people with "issues" and get them treated now they will save enough money long term to buy 200 Mustangs. It will also have the dual purpose of keeping employee premiums from rising as fast as they might. I'll give the US Airways their "Props" on this effort as it makes good sense all the way around. I don't see anything nefarious here. If anything this is one time their cheapness works in their favor.

 

[Iclubbabyseals]

If they snag a few dozen people with "issues" and get them treated now they will save enough money long term to buy 200 Mustangs.

You mean like SWA buying all their pilots noise-canceling headsets?

This brings up a perfect example of tempe hating their employees.

Some six or more 757s had winglets installed, good move. However, I do not understand why, but the ductwork was rearranged up in the cockpit area as a part of this, resulting in really noisy cockpits (I was told because tempe went with the "cheap program"). and, I mean, really effing noisy. So, I wrote the noisy ones up (almost all). Finally, the head engineer called me at home and explained that the noisiest cockpit was 105 db. Boeing allows 108 db, for one hour (OSHA allows 105 db for one hour with full hearing protection - earplugs and headset). We were using those aircraft for eight hours at a time, Stockholm to Philadelphia.

There were some other issues of stepping over dollars to pick up pennies but, I was particularly struck by the lack of any kind of safety culture with the tempe boys. Apparently the college interns that do most of the work in tempe can't be expected to consider every negative aspect of propositions (because they have no effing experience) and the (overpaid, IMHO) executives have little to no idea what they are doing, except, apparently, ensuring their continuing bonus.

 

[MerlinMagician]

Just a FYI. This program and the drawings are not for All USAirways employees. Its only for the employees that are enrolled in USAirways medical insurance.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

You're to suspicious but only because you're ill informed.

Here's a little news flash for you. They already have the information. If you have Health Coverage through an employer you signed away any right to privacy you thought you had.

.......

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. Problem is in this case is you've already been had.

Great post.
Call me paranoid, but I do not believe that Tempe is doing this out of the goodness
of its heart.


A great deal indeed hangs to this tale.