June 10, 2006

Has the insurance company been reading this blog?

I was told yesterday that the insurance company that does the group health and life insurance here rejected my application for insurance. I wonder if they have been reading this blog, and saw how regularly I talk about health stuff and sickness and death. Do they think I am a ticking time bomb that will eat into their millions?

Seriously, I think insurance companies are unethical. Here is why.

They make it look like they are in business for the good of mankind, when all they want to do is collect the premiums and not have to pay out anything!

So I was very honest on my form about all the tests that I have done. Note that all the results have come back normal, so I really don't know what the problem is. I hear that I can appeal, so last night, I was planning my speech.....

1. Over the last five years, I have gone from morbidly obese (241 pounds) to just a little obese (205 yeah, yeah, I know...the weight tracker is wrong)
2. I have NEVER had high blood pressure, or high cholesterol or high sugar.
3. Diabetes or heart disease don't run in my family.
4. I don't eat red meat or poultry, I don't drink, I don't smoke and I eat a lot of plant based foods.
5. I decided not to buy a car so that I can walk to and from work (a total of about 35 minutes). Note that walking back home is up a hill!
6. I exercise regularly apart from the walk to and from home.
7. I am happy inside, so no chance of dying from stress related illnesses.

What more could they want? I am the ideal candidate! And if they say Yamfoot, if we insure you, you can only do two tests per year, I could live with that!

But how am I supposed to feel, being in a foreign country, with no assurance, that should something accidentally happen to me at work, I would be taken care of medically?

So I paying the price for being honest, cause I sure many of the employees tick NO for questions that they should really be ticking YES for. Can insurance companies check what employees don't disclose? NO. So other people who I sure have chronic diseases that they don't know about yet, are happily being covered, and healthy me am not.

Life just aint fair. We'll see how this one ends up.

Posted by yamfoot at June 10, 2006 05:52 PM
Comments

"He who plays by the rules gets shafted." - Mutty Perkins

Posted by: Mad Bull at June 10, 2006 11:40 PM

Michelle, on what grounds was your application declined?

Posted by: Gwyneth at June 11, 2006 10:29 AM

Have no idea. They say to provide name and address of doctor and they will give doctor reasons. Then I'll hear from my doctor.

Posted by: Michelle at June 12, 2006 06:10 PM

Insurance really is a mug's game. Curious to know on what basis they turned you down...appeal and put them under pressure. It is probably just a mistake. How is your HIV status ? :-)

Posted by: Kelly at June 13, 2006 02:09 PM

Heh heh.

Actually i wrote the letter with many of the points I mentioned here. So let's see what they say. I also called and spoke with the local office (it was the head office in Bim where the decision was made) and gave the lady a piece of my mind (very nicely cause I don't rah rah like some Jamaicans are known to do).

Posted by: Michelle at June 13, 2006 03:29 PM

lAWKS IS NOT ONLY jAMaicans rah rah u know. how u mek it sound so... hmph

Posted by: pELICO at June 27, 2006 01:49 PM

Well Jamaicans are known for that.

Anyway, I called them again yesterday on another matter and by-the-way mentioned my decline again. So the lady pulled up my history and commented that is really only dental that I used to claim for (I visit the dentist twice a year and then during the 1997 - 2001 period I was having problems with one tooth which required a lot of work).

So she said she was goign to email the head office in Barbados to sort of plead my case.

Posted by: Michelle at June 27, 2006 03:14 PM

What kind of nonsense is that? I am curious to know what grounds they refuse you on. But Yami, where did you ever get the idea the wretched insurance people are in it for the good of mankind?

Posted by: Gela at October 6, 2006 07:19 PM