Chiropractic visits lead to higher premium
Published: 2010-02-03 00:15:15
Author: David Lazarus | Los Angeles Times | January 31, 2010
As the prospects for meaningful healthcare reform grow murkier by the day, it's helpful to remember why we started this discussion in the first place.
It wasn't so we could socialize the U.S. healthcare system, and it wasn't so we could create death panels, or make it easier for insurance and drug companies to practice their trades.
It was so we could help people like Hollywood resident Lisa France, 42, who does her best to stay healthy. She exercises regularly, does yoga, does Pilates. She has no medical problems to speak of and no preexisting conditions.
But when France recently applied for individual coverage offered by Anthem Blue Cross, she received a letter saying that her monthly premium would be 25% higher than expected because she sees a chiropractor from time to time.
"It's crazy," she told me. "I go to the chiropractor maybe once every four or five months, just for maintenance. If you've been working out a lot, you can always use a little adjustment. Then you feel awesome."
That's not how Anthem sees it.
Jerry Slowey, a spokesman for the insurer, said applicants for individual coverage are judged on "underlying medical conditions and their current treatment for those conditions, including any services such as chiropractic care."
Because France disclosed during the application process that she'd seen a chiropractor in early December, she was told she must pay about $141 a month for health insurance (including a whopping $1,000 deductible) instead of Anthem's originally offered $113.
"I guess it would have been better if I'd lied and didn't mention the chiropractor," she said. "I feel like I'm being punished for telling the truth, even though I'm completely healthy."
That's a dangerous game, and I'd advise people not to play it. If an insurer finds something -- anything -- that you didn't disclose upfront, it could drop your coverage when you need it most.
Unfortunately, that means you have to lay it all on the table, including seemingly benign things like occasionally seeing a chiropractor to work out the kinks from exercise. And in Anthem's case, that can be an invitation to jack up your rates.
Full story
Published: 2010-02-03 00:15:15
Author: David Lazarus | Los Angeles Times | January 31, 2010
As the prospects for meaningful healthcare reform grow murkier by the day, it's helpful to remember why we started this discussion in the first place.
It wasn't so we could socialize the U.S. healthcare system, and it wasn't so we could create death panels, or make it easier for insurance and drug companies to practice their trades.
It was so we could help people like Hollywood resident Lisa France, 42, who does her best to stay healthy. She exercises regularly, does yoga, does Pilates. She has no medical problems to speak of and no preexisting conditions.
But when France recently applied for individual coverage offered by Anthem Blue Cross, she received a letter saying that her monthly premium would be 25% higher than expected because she sees a chiropractor from time to time.
"It's crazy," she told me. "I go to the chiropractor maybe once every four or five months, just for maintenance. If you've been working out a lot, you can always use a little adjustment. Then you feel awesome."
That's not how Anthem sees it.
Jerry Slowey, a spokesman for the insurer, said applicants for individual coverage are judged on "underlying medical conditions and their current treatment for those conditions, including any services such as chiropractic care."
Because France disclosed during the application process that she'd seen a chiropractor in early December, she was told she must pay about $141 a month for health insurance (including a whopping $1,000 deductible) instead of Anthem's originally offered $113.
"I guess it would have been better if I'd lied and didn't mention the chiropractor," she said. "I feel like I'm being punished for telling the truth, even though I'm completely healthy."
That's a dangerous game, and I'd advise people not to play it. If an insurer finds something -- anything -- that you didn't disclose upfront, it could drop your coverage when you need it most.
Unfortunately, that means you have to lay it all on the table, including seemingly benign things like occasionally seeing a chiropractor to work out the kinks from exercise. And in Anthem's case, that can be an invitation to jack up your rates.
Full story