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<p>This can run into problems when two employees have the same firstname and lastname.</p>
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<p>Yes, everyone knows that all vaccines are safe.</p>
<p>[»</a> 800 European Children Develop Narcolepsy After Receiving H1N1 Vaccine Alex Jones’ Infowars: There’s a war on for your mind!](<a href=“http://www.infowars.com/800-european-children-develop-narcolepsy-after-receiving-h1n1-vaccine/]»”>http://www.infowars.com/800-european-children-develop-narcolepsy-after-receiving-h1n1-vaccine/)</p>
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<p>And whether your doctor uses electronic medical records is not the same as whether you use Medicare or any other insurance company.</p>
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<p>Well, apparently you don’t believe that the government can ever do anything wrong, and that is why you are comfortable with the government having unfettered access to your personal information? Because governments never do anything nefarious? Our government and the people in it have never done anything nefarious and never will?</p>
<p>Alex Jones. Really?</p>
<p>No, I shouldn’t have gotten sidetracked on Medicare. Now that electronic medical records keeping is required, the concerns for privacy are greater than in the paper records days.</p>
<p>I believe the government does do many wrong things. I just don’t believe they do these things because they are out to get us and that there are people in the government who are secretly plotting and planning what new government programs they can create to take over our lives.</p>
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<p>No, I don’t think most people who are opposed to disclosing private information think of the government this way, either. Rather, they are more concerned that the government will make mistakes, or adopt policies to use the information that are not in line with a particular individual’s needs or desires, and operate to their detriment. They do not want the government to have that kind of delegated control. There is nothing paranoid in that way of thinking.</p>
<p>That is not the impression I get from people who are objecting. I see a much deeper distrust of government from a certain segment of the population about this issue and every other issue that involves any government policy.</p>
<p>Maybe you are looking for those reactions. There are always extremists on both sides. Most Americans are quite reasonable</p>
<p>In 1996, I was hired by a large hospital in my city. I had to go to employee health to be evaluated, I guess for insurance purposes. A week or so later, I received a letter from employee health stating that due to my weight, I was not at “optimum health.” I was 5’6" tall and 124 lbs., a size 6. I worked out 5 days a week and ate a pretty darn clean diet, didn’t smoke and never had, had normal blood pressure/blood sugar, and drank only occasionally. They recommended that I attain a weight of no more than 113 lbs.</p>
<p>I was really offended. A year later or so, I increased my cardio intensity and duration and got down to 116 lbs. All I ever heard from friends/coworkers/family was that I was getting way too skinny. I finally decided they were right. I really don’t know how they decided that being 113 lbs. was the proper weight for me, but it was actually nonsense.</p>
<p>Weird. Even using BMI (nowhere near the optimal tool for individual assessment of obesity), 124 pounds at 5’6" is a BMI of 20.0, while 113 pounds at 5’6" is a BMI of 18.2 (in the “underweight” range).</p>
<p>Maybe they thought you were 4’8" or something?</p>
<p>Canadians do wait for some procedures, but pay less for everything. Doctors are not in it for the money, because Canada has a more socialized medical system. eh…<br>
eh…also pronounced ay… is a common Canadian phrase to signal, do you understand, in some parts of Canada. As in …"that’s really expensive medical coverage, eh (ay)?</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, that’s bizarre.</p>
<p>I don’t generally think “government” is out to get anyone. That would imply a level of competence that I find unwarranted. And I hate that term, the government. It is just people.</p>
<p>I also think that in the human element, people talk. People talk to their friends and spouses. If you don’t know something you can’t spread it.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I think my personal information should be ultimately in my control. It is really that simple.</p>
<p>Way back, zm asked: I wonder if anyone has any data or anecdotal information about the success of voluntary wellness programs. The answer is yes, and the consensus is that they are successful in bringing down healthcare costs. This message brought to you compliments of my year-long detour as a group benefits consultant at a firm whose owners were strong opponents of wellness-based products as a means to somewhat control out-of-control health care costs for our clients.</p>
<p>Thank you kelsmom! Do you think your population had any special motivation?</p>
<p>The HR managers we worked with felt that their employees actually wanted to get healthy, and most of their employees seemed to welcome the programs offered to them. These were larger companies (1000-5000 employees), and they had HR departments that actively tried to promote (not “push”) health. I have to admit that one group had a population of employees who were extremely suspicious of the wellness plans … but this organization had various bargaining groups. Some of the groups had gone to wellness plans several years ago, while others refused to do so. Right before I left, they were working with the resistant groups, showing them the bottom line difference in costs for the wellness groups … not only for the employee share, but also for the organization. The union leadership was very surprised at the cost savings realized through the wellness programs. They asked great questions: Can BMI requirements be waived with by doctor request (such as for a body builder or otherwise fit, muscular person?); does a pregnant woman have to meet BMI standards?; what are the exceptions the rule? I don’t know what they decided - I left before the contracts were settled - but they were leaning toward accepting the wellness plans. The cost of health care to companies is ASTONISHING. I did underwriting, so I saw the cost of the claims. WOW.</p>
<p>One of the biggest challenges to wellness programs is the ability to get to the doctor for an exam, and also to continue going to the doctor if the employee must go on a regular basis (e.g., if they are put on cholesterol or blood pressure meds). We had a well-known doctor on staff to advise companies, and he believes that giving paid release time is worth the money … it will reduce overall costs (medical and absenteeism) far more than the cost of the release time.</p>
<p>The wellness movement is fascinating. And I stand by my comments that the information is not provided to employers on a personal level. </p>
<p>I don’t know about the CVS situation, though … any time someone has to agree to “tell their company,” I don’t have much faith that it will be confidential. This sounds like it may be different than the wellness efforts with which I am familiar.</p>
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<p>Every single day, private health insurance companies: a) make mistakes, b)adopt policies or use information that’s not in line with the individual’s needs or desires, and c) operate to their subscribers’ detriment. I’ll add a couple more: d) have a vested interest in not paying for care, and e) operate under a built-in conflict of interest between shareholders and subscribers. Guess who usually wins that tug of war.</p>
<p>^^Agreed with LasMa, and with H’s and D’s conditions, I waste hundreds of hours per year dealing with unpaid and incorrect claims, fighting the eternal circle of hell between insurance and medical providers.</p>
<p>I have no desire for the information to be in any more hands than necessary. I guess you can count me in with the gov’t paranoia group. I work with the IRS and state revenue departments and my sons are cops. Our county has a system where they pull up your name and all sorts of info pops up. Our state has a “fushion center”. The amount of info the “govt” already has blows my mind. It is only going to get worse and won’t be for the individual’s benefit.</p>