The online health assessment is a joke

[Bateluer]

My employer and its medical insurance provider require this online health assessment to be taken yearly. Put simply, its a joke. First page of questions, do you wear a seatbelt, do you smoke/drink, etc. There's also a slew of very personal questions that have no bearing on medical insurance whatsoever, which I filled out with 'NA' or 'I Choose Not to Respond.'

What pretty much invalided the entire assessment though, is the biometrics section. Apparently, they want me to drive ~45miles to mobile labs at the company's sites to complete blood work, body measurements, etc, to complete a biometrics section of the assessment. This would be neat, its freely provided, after all. Catch is, they cater to day shifters only and they don't go to any of the sites I actually work at during my hours. The mobile labs only go to three of the company's facilities, from 8a-5p. A good 45 mile drive for me, plus the time and mileage to my normal work site. Frak that.

So, given that I know my health is pretty much excellent and the last figures I had taken were spot on, I went to WebMD and Mayo Clinic and entered optimal values for my age group/gender. I also provided a summary of my running training.

At the end of the assessment, it rated my health at 97% and then said I had a moderate risk of heart disease. Bite my shiny metal ass.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Regular smoking probably has a larger deleterious effect on individual health than any other single long-term activity you could do (obviously short-term activities like walking in front of a car doesn't count). Seatbelts have an obvious effect on general health, so does alcohol. Since this is for insurance, the point is to evaluate the mean cost per year they may have to pay for your care, and charge you accordingly. So they're probably relevant questions.

 

[Bateluer]

Regular smoking probably has a larger deleterious effect on individual health than any other single long-term activity you could do (obviously short-term activities like walking in front of a car doesn't count). Seatbelts have an obvious effect on general health, so does alcohol. Since this is for insurance, the point is to evaluate the mean cost per year they may have to pay for your care, and charge you accordingly. So they're probably relevant questions.

Didn't say those weren't relevant, I was just listing them. I didn't get into the personal questions because they disgust me. There's a page of questions about one's race, family background, sexual activity/orientation, etc.

And since there's no actual accountability on the online assessment, its a complete joke.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Those are relevant too. Different ethnicities have, among other things, difference prevalence/incidence of both chronic and acute disorders, different risk factors, different polymorphisms that determine interactions and recommended doses with drugs, etc. Family background can obviously be important because a lot of things are in part or wholly hereditary. Sexual orientation/activity - STDs and other infections, obviously.

I'm not saying you are/are not reasonable not giving them out or complaining about them, though.

 

[Bateluer]

Those are relevant too. Different ethnicities have, among other things, difference prevalence/incidence of both chronic and acute disorders, different risk factors, different polymorphisms that determine interactions and recommended doses with drugs, etc. Family background can obviously be important because a lot of things are in part or wholly hereditary. Sexual orientation/activity - STDs and other infections, obviously.

I'm not saying you are/are not reasonable not giving them out or complaining about them, though.

Those are all so they can raise your rates, because you're now a 'high risk' individual. They gave the option to select NA/I choose not to answer, and used it at every opportunity.

However, as I said, there's no accountability or enforcement, you can enter anything you damn well please. The USAF had similar health assessments when I was active duty, don't know a single person that was 100% honest on those either.

 

[highland145]

You ought to try the Wii Fit health tally. Said my fit age was 53 and I should weigh 165lbs. Really? I'm 6'1" 200lbs and 47 years.

Said the wife was wii age 63. She's 48.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

However, as I said, there's no accountability or enforcement, you can enter anything you damn well please. The USAF had similar health assessments when I was active duty, don't know a single person that was 100% honest on those either.

I'm honest on it : p Always bitches at me for not eating enough vegatables or something >.< but there's no real consequences for answering whatever on it.

 

[Bateluer]

I'm honest on it : p Always bitches at me for not eating enough vegatables or something >.< but there's no real consequences for answering whatever on it.

I was honest on the entire questionnaire, in the fact that my vitals are nearly perfect and that some of their questions were filed under 'Mind your own business'.