Cotinine testing - Day three of zero nicotine

[choochoogranny]

Thank you, Lessifer, for posting that article. I was afraid that something like that was happening under hubby's and my Advantage insurance programs which we chose instead of Medicare.

One day out of the blue we get calls from perfect strangers to remind us of our annual checkups and would we like for them to make an app't for us with our docs. Who are you? Who do you work for? Who gave you access to our medical records?

To say I was enraged is to say the least. They sent a rep unannounced to our home to take a medical history even though we refused their initial request for an appt. and let them know we did NOT want their intrusion.

Before leaving, the rep asked why I was refusing this "consultation". Told her I never asked for a "nanny", that I was quite capable of managing my own affairs, and why in the heck would I want to share very personal information with people I didn't know! Geez, another outfit to be "hacked" for i.d. theft.

Finally, either this outfit got the message or the insurance co. we're dealing with decided this "wellness program" wasn't working out after all as we are no longer getting the intrusive calls.

 

[mattiem]

It just makes me happy that I am on the down hill side of my lifetime. I am getting so very tired of the nanny world we are living in when something like this is even necessary

I second the excitement factor of knowing that life is more than "half over" , death can't come soon enough for me .

I am not looking forward to the death part, although I know that is part of it. I am just happy that I am no longer part of the workforce, so no longer have to jump through hoops to please some overlord.

As for the test for insurance. I ended up in Andria's shoes. I almost got priced out of insurance when I hit 60, not because of nicotine, because of age . The next year hubby hit 60 and we were priced out. We just had to pray nothing drastic would happen before medicare kicked in. Something did but that is a story for another time.

 

[Lessifer]

Thank you, Lessifer, for posting that article. I was afraid that something like that was happening under hubby's and my Advantage insurance programs which we chose instead of Medicare.

One day out of the blue we get calls from perfect strangers to remind us of our annual checkups and would we like for them to make an app't for us with our docs. Who are you? Who do you work for? Who gave you access to our medical records?

To say I was enraged is to say the least. They sent a rep unannounced to our home to take a medical history even though we refused their initial request for an appt. and let them know we did NOT want their intrusion.

Before leaving, the rep asked why I was refusing this "consultation". Told her I never asked for a "nanny", that I was quite capable of managing my own affairs, and why in the heck would I want to share very personal information with people I didn't know! Geez, another outfit to be "hacked" for i.d. theft.

Finally, either this outfit got the message or the insurance co. we're dealing with decided this "wellness program" wasn't working out after all as we are no longer getting the intrusive calls.

It does seem like all of the "benefits" of the wellness program could be replaced by someone sending out email reminders to get your annual physical, or get your eye exam done, etc.

 

[DaveP]

Sheesh! I'm happy to be switching to Medicare for health insurance in a couple of months. The rates they are charging this year added $700 to my and my wife's coverage under my company's retirement health insurance. We will switch to a plan for my wife, since she has a few more years to reach Medicare. Looks like we'll save a bunch on costs even before she is eligible to switch over to MC.

It's amusing to me that there's a similar test for recent alcohol use that's not being used, while nic testing has become common. Both are legal substances. The test can detect usage up to 3 or 4 days after ingestion of alcohol. I wonder how long it will be before employers start to test for residual alcohol. It does require sending the urine kit back to a lab for testing, so it would probably be used after an at work accident or suspicion of consumption on the job.

ETG Alcohol Testing - Drug Testing Network

How long can EtG be detected in urine?

Traditional laboratory methods detect the actual alcohol in the body, which reflects current use within the past few hours (depending on how much is consumed). The presence of EtG in urine indicates that ethanol was ingested within the previous 3 to 4 days, or approximately 80 hours after ethanol is eliminated from the body. Therefore, EtG is a more accurate indicator of the recent injection of alcohol than measuring for the presence of ethanol itself.

 

[choochoogranny]

The dr's ofc's already do that, Lessifer. The "Wellness Programs" seem to add another layer of bureaucracy into the mix, more people, more record keeping and sharing, and more expense. Just more people interferring in your personal business. How in the heck did our forebearers survive?

 

[pianoguy]

It does seem like all of the "benefits" of the wellness program could be replaced by someone sending out email reminders to get your annual physical, or get your eye exam done, etc.

A year or 2 back one of these outfits was pitching their program to my wife's company. Among other things, they measure your BMI and if you're over some threshold, your premiums would be higher unless you participate in a weight management program and get it below that threshold.