4 ms·

"The assumption is that you won't exercise, even if you own all the necessary equipment in your home." You don't need any equipment. All you need to do

by rsync 11y ago

"The assumption is that you won't exercise, even if you own all the necessary equipment in your home." You don't need any equipment. All you need to do is walk. Nothing else. Walk for two hours every day or two. It's also enjoyable and relaxing and mentally stimulating. It's win, win, win and it costs zero dollars.

jacquesm 11y ago
Or do your short distance traveling by bicycle if at all possible where you live.
logfromblammo 11y ago
The dialogue was intended to be illustrative rather than informative. Health insurance companies, in general, absolutely will not reimburse for preventative measures, even if they are known to be effective. Every check has to have a diagnosis code attached to it. They will, however, give you some cash or premium discounts if you enroll in their health nagging/spying program. You self-report a sackfull of valuable risk factor information, and they, in turn, frequently call you and read from a script at you. There is no material support or genuine incentive for positive lifestyle change. As regular walking has such great, demonstrable health benefits, you would think that a health insurance company might do something like send you a free new pair of walking shoes if you send them your old pair, with the soles worn out from walking. I can't exactly agree with the part about being enjoyable, relaxing, and mentally stimulating, though. That's largely dependent on your route and companions. Someone walking through a sprawl of suburban McMansions with an unrelenting babbler is not going to keep at it as easily as someone who can enjoy a hiking trail at a scenic park with someone who knows how to just shut up and enjoy nature in companionable silence. (~Any resemblance to actual walking experiences is purely coincidental.~) The number one reason I have for keeping exercise equipment in my home is because I think you shouldn't have to get in a car and drive somewhere in order to have a positive exercising experience, and walking around my neighborhood is not one.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  Lots of people are scared of silence.
- rsync 11y ago
  "Health insurance companies, in general, absolutely will not reimburse for preventative measures" Of course they don't. It's tautological. Insurance companies by definition do not insure against regular, predictable expenses. A car insurance company will never insure you for new tires and a health insurance company will never insure you for regular, recurring wellness checkups. Because math. Yes, sometimes they say they will, and sometimes such a reimbursement actually occurs, but make no mistake - that is never a claim payment and basically amounts to fee for service. You will not receive claim payment for items like this - they are not underwriteable.
  - schoen 11y ago
    These things can be interpreted as interventions by the insurers to lower the insured parties' risks that could result in claims later, akin to a fire insurance carrier's possible willingness to buy you a fire extinguisher if it calculates that that its resulting expected liability will go down by more than the cost of the extinguisher. Alternatively, you could view the physical exam as a genuine insurance claim because not all insured parties actually take advantage of all the preventative services that they're theoretically entitled to under their policies. I've had years where I didn't get a physical exam or dental exam that my policies would have allowed me to, and so have many other people (but the carriers still got paid the premiums for those years!). If the carrier makes actuarial estimates of the likelihood of people not using those services, it's pretty solidly back in insurance territory!
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > Health insurance companies, in general, absolutely will not reimburse for preventative measures Well, except for the long list of preventive measures they must pay for, as a result of state and federal regulations [1]. And, except for the fact that some insurers paid for non-mandated preventive services previously (and cover non-mandated preventive measures now), but only to the extent that their experience bore out that those services reduced their downstream expected costs. [1] e.g., https://www.healthcare.gov/preventive-care-benefits/ https://www.healthcare.gov/preventive-care-benefits/

by rsync 11y ago

jacquesm 11y ago

Or do your short distance traveling by bicycle if at all possible where you live.

logfromblammo 11y ago

The dialogue was intended to be illustrative rather than informative. Health insurance companies, in general, absolutely will not reimburse for preventative measures, even if they are known to be effective. Every check has to have a diagnosis code attached to it. They will, however, give you some cash or premium discounts if you enroll in their health nagging/spying program. You self-report a sackfull of valuable risk factor information, and they, in turn, frequently call you and read from a script at you. There is no material support or genuine incentive for positive lifestyle change. As regular walking has such great, demonstrable health benefits, you would think that a health insurance company might do something like send you a free new pair of walking shoes if you send them your old pair, with the soles worn out from walking. I can't exactly agree with the part about being enjoyable, relaxing, and mentally stimulating, though. That's largely dependent on your route and companions. Someone walking through a sprawl of suburban McMansions with an unrelenting babbler is not going to keep at it as easily as someone who can enjoy a hiking trail at a scenic park with someone who knows how to just shut up and enjoy nature in companionable silence. (~Any resemblance to actual walking experiences is purely coincidental.~) The number one reason I have for keeping exercise equipment in my home is because I think you shouldn't have to get in a car and drive somewhere in order to have a positive exercising experience, and walking around my neighborhood is not one.

jacquesm 11y ago
Lots of people are scared of silence.
rsync 11y ago
"Health insurance companies, in general, absolutely will not reimburse for preventative measures" Of course they don't. It's tautological. Insurance companies by definition do not insure against regular, predictable expenses. A car insurance company will never insure you for new tires and a health insurance company will never insure you for regular, recurring wellness checkups. Because math. Yes, sometimes they say they will, and sometimes such a reimbursement actually occurs, but make no mistake - that is never a claim payment and basically amounts to fee for service. You will not receive claim payment for items like this - they are not underwriteable.
- schoen 11y ago
  These things can be interpreted as interventions by the insurers to lower the insured parties' risks that could result in claims later, akin to a fire insurance carrier's possible willingness to buy you a fire extinguisher if it calculates that that its resulting expected liability will go down by more than the cost of the extinguisher. Alternatively, you could view the physical exam as a genuine insurance claim because not all insured parties actually take advantage of all the preventative services that they're theoretically entitled to under their policies. I've had years where I didn't get a physical exam or dental exam that my policies would have allowed me to, and so have many other people (but the carriers still got paid the premiums for those years!). If the carrier makes actuarial estimates of the likelihood of people not using those services, it's pretty solidly back in insurance territory!
dragonwriter 11y ago
> Health insurance companies, in general, absolutely will not reimburse for preventative measures Well, except for the long list of preventive measures they must pay for, as a result of state and federal regulations [1]. And, except for the fact that some insurers paid for non-mandated preventive services previously (and cover non-mandated preventive measures now), but only to the extent that their experience bore out that those services reduced their downstream expected costs. [1] e.g., https://www.healthcare.gov/preventive-care-benefits/ https://www.healthcare.gov/preventive-care-benefits/