Pipe Smoking Health Insurance

[J Soshae]

We just signed up for our new insurance policy for this next year. There was an interesting provision for the occasional pipe smoker.

Non-smoker classification = 3 or less instances of tobacco use per week
Smoker classification = 4 or more instances of tobacco use per week

Tobacco used for religious purposes do not count.


People who could settle for a Monday, Wednesday, & Friday pipe could get the preferred rates.

All others could start a tobacco church that meets a couple of times per day.  :joker: 

 

[Growley]

Interesting, who do you have your insurance with? I'm typically in the "non-smoker" category, as far as your insurance goes  

 

[Briarbabe]

Hallelujah I have seen the re-light!

 

[puros_bran]

I was just handed a 110% premium increase due to using a tobacco product.

 

[J Soshae]

Growley - BlueCross/BlueShield here in Alabama

We went with a silver plan

 

[Growley]

Growley - BlueCross/BlueShield here in Alabama

We went with a silver plan

Whoo Hoo! That's me! I didn't even notice that provision. I guess I was too dumbstruck by the fact that my monthly costs DOUBLED!!!
...but that's a conversation for a different thread.

 

[Docsknotinn]

The smoking definition is the same with BCBS-MI. When I read that I thought smoking a pipe in Church pretty much sounds like Heaven.

Dave

 

[loneredtree]

OK. But, how do you verify your use? Smoke in the presence of a monitor who keeps you pipes and tobacco under lock down? Like FA in Germany. Hummmm! Interesting. Kyle could expand on this....

 :twisted:

 

[Anonymous]

The smoking definition is the same with BCBS-MI. When I read that I thought smoking a pipe in Church pretty much sounds like Heaven.

Dave

That's why they made the Churchwarden!

 

[mejoshee]

OK. But, how do you verify your use? Smoke in the presence of a monitor who keeps you pipes and tobacco under lock down? Like FA in Germany. Hummmm! Interesting. Kyle could expand on this....

 :twisted:

I always wondered myself, especially after considering term life rates this past couple years (yes, I realize health insurance≠life insurance). I would fall into the "non-smoker" category as well, but how to police this?

A similarly related topic is the data on "smokers"--tobacco kills, yadda yadda. But what kind of smokers are we talking about? Cigs? Cigars? Chain? Occasional? It's not a go/no-go, it's a spectrum. My wife pokes me sometimes when those commercials come up. I acknowledge there is an increase in cancer and other maladies for tobacco use vs. not, but pipers are not the "typical" model methinks. :study:

In summary, data insufficient!

[off soapbox]

 

[monbla256]

At my last trip to my doctor I asked him about this thing and how could they tell? He said that your body WILL ingest nicotine whether you inhale a cigarette or not. The roof of your mouth will ingest nicotine and it WILL get into your bloodstream and the results of this are measured when you have blood work and if they are at a certain level and you have used a medical insurance plan to pay for your care, the doctors HAVE to furnish results of the results to them. It's been this way for a LONG time and has enabled the insurance firms to re-adjust folks costs based on the criteria each insurer has for "non-smoker" This ALL pre-dates the ACA btw, As Bertolt Brecht said back in 1923: "... money makes the world go round "  :twisted:   :twisted: 

 

[Anonymous]

Cotinine is what they are after. I imagine there could be indicators in a standard blood panel. I would think a doctor would only be looking for it if your insurance company requested it. The more fat you carry, the longer it stays in your system. Urine tests are the most sensitive. It takes about 10 days to be cleared of Cotinine and its secondary metabolites. Pipe smokers absorb just as much nicotine as other forms and levels increase with the amount/frequency. Secondary (passive) smokers have detectable levels also and should be aware of Cotinine also.

Cotinine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotinine

Cotinine in blood:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12352273

Aetna is charging people around $650 a year if you smoke. Any tobacco. Also, it's the worst insurance. They pay for nothing and when they do, it's a fight. They have a new "wellness" service called Redbrick where they try to collect all kinds of information about you and your dirty filthy "habits".

BCBS is the best. You get well taken care of.