Let’s start out by saying that, “Yes, I’m lucky to have a job and insurance.”
Sandia recently changed over to a new healthcare plan. “Sandia Total Health.”
You had the option of switching to the plan last year and were forced to switch this year. I was on it last year, and it was actually fine. Don’t get me wrong, if something bad had happened – trip to the ER, surgery etc, it would have been incredibly expensive. But we were lucky.
In an effort to help offset some of the costs, Sandia is offering a program where an employee can earn up to $500 towards medical expenses. I thought it was a great idea.
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get a pedometer - You walk around
- You log your steps on a fancy little website
- You do other things like workout, do yard work or get your blood pressure measured
- These things all get logged on the website and you earn points that eventually equate to $$
This seemed like an awesome idea to me. Reward the people that are doing healthy activities. That’s why I was pretty surprised by the number of people that were against this program. I’m not sure what the deal is – most people were concerned that the information would eventually be used against them. i.e. you have high blood pressure so we’re going to make you pay more. I’m probably a little too optimistic, but I’d like to believe that this is simply a case of – get some exercise and we’ll reward you because you’re less likely to die of a heart attack.
They claimed that it was unfair to give better insurance to some and not others. I told them that we weren’t really entitled to the money at all. I told them to get off there behinds and go for a walk (I said a little nicer than that). Despite what you might think, I can put a decent filter on when I need to.
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4 replies on “Insurance woes”
I think that’s an awesome idea! If we’re healthy and using less healthcare, shouldn’t we benefit? Of course there are some illnesses that can’t be avoided, but heck it’s worth a shot!
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I got to say i’m a bit embarrassed by Sandia’s new health care. I went to my physician last week and shyly handed them my new insurance card. All i could say was, “can i still come here?” Thankfully I can…We just can’t get sick with this new plan.
What I don’t like about this “preventative” program (aside from the ‘eugenics database’ they are collecting) is that they are showing preference to higher impact exercise. What about people who like to swim, bike, do yoga, etc. How can you get points for these activities?
Totally agree on the insurance – we could be in trouble if we actually get sick.
On the pedometer stuff – at the kickoff they showed how you can enter time for any sort of exercise from running to working around the house. And he claims that you can clip the pedometer to your shoe while on a bike and it will register the motion. Haven’t tried it yet. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s perfect, but I actually feel like they thought of a lot (as far as the health miles program is concerned….I think the insurance could do a bit better).