Smoking or Non-Smoking?

[lookout123]

Bri - LDS = vegetarian? that is a new one for me.

everyone else - group insurance plans don't allow for different rates for different people. either you have insurance and pay the same as everyone else or you don't have insurance.

i don't smoke, i absolutely hate smoking, but even i think this is just ridiculous. i do, however, support their right to run their company how they want.

[breakingnews]

Originally Posted by lookout123

Bri - LDS = vegetarian? that is a new one for me.

everyone else - group insurance plans don't allow for different rates for different people. either you have insurance and pay the same as everyone else or you don't have insurance.

No longer true. Demographic, as opposed to community-based, rating systems swept the group insurance industry in 2003 and 2004. Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia was among the last few health insurers to make the switch, which it did only because of the competitive pressure.

Rather than one group rate, premiums would now be calculated based on age and other factors. It makes sense for very, very small companies with only a handful of employees (it's intended for small- to mid-sized businesses), but as you near the cutoff (maybe 100 workers? more? i forget) it is more expensive than a community-based rate, and elder employees would see higher premiums. The concern of employee rights groups is that demographic rating would entice companies to higher younger workers since they would cost less to insure.

Yet another insurance-driven workplace policy.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by breakingnews

The concern of employee rights groups is that demographic rating would entice companies to higher younger workers since they would cost less to insure.

Yet another insurance-driven workplace policy.

Younger employees traditionally cost less in salary, too. A brand-new nursing grad makes 1/2 of what I do. And has NO experience. Just what you want when you're in the middle of a code situation--cheap, inexperienced help.

[lookout123]

good to know, i've only looked at insurance in large companies so i was unaware of the new wave in small companies.

[mdease]

[quote from jaguar]While there are contributing factors to obesity that aren't controllable the vast majority of overweight people are overweight because they eat too much of the wrong stuff and don't do enough bloody exercise. End of story. One can't help their race or their sex but in most cases, one can do something about one's weight.[/quote]

So perfectly stated. It is very true that people in general don't want to do the work it takes to lose the weight. They want instant results. Want proof? Any of the fad diets. Atkins, South Beach. Sure, they may work for a little while, but at the same time, your killing your body. The human body needs a specefic balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. People dont want to exercise. Too much effort, apparently.

On the topic of the smoking, the company was a health-care company. I don't blame them for A) not allowing their workers to smoke, simply because they know exactly what it does to them and B) health care is much more expensive for a smoker. Why should the company be penalized for the choices of the employee? The company has every right to fire the employees, they have every right to ask them for a piss test to see if they smoked. They broke a policy, or at least, indicated that they broke the policy, and for that, they were fired.

[404Error]

In the same post, Jag also stated:

On the smoking thing though, it all seems bloody orwellian to me. I mean what the hell? If my health insurer asked for a urine sample for *anything* I'd cancel the policy, let alone something perfectly legal. Let alone a workplace, christ, no matter the money, my time, my choice, get the fuck out of my private life. I do my job, they pay me, end of interaction.

Being employed by a company does not mean they own you. You go there, do a job for them and they pay you for it, end of story. What you do away from the job site has nothing to do with that company, as long as it's legal and you're not putting the company in a bad light per se. If they want to charge you more for health insurance because you smoke so be it, but they better make it fair and charge everyone that participates in a health risk the same.

[Trilby]

Yeah---they are vegetarians. Maybe they are some weird sect--but they are a wealthy, weird sect. WEALTHY.

[lookout123]

they must be a sect, because i am in very close contact with a large number of mormons (practicing, devout, not just name-only) who will down a good steak.

as far as wealthy... that probably has nothing to do with the sect. as one of my mormon aquaintances put it - "we're the new jew".

it is imperative that the man become extremely successful in his chosen career and then bring younger mormons in and help them achieve the top tiers of success.

[lookout123]

ok, SDA - yeah they are absolutely vegetarians. and those that i know are a bit out of the main stream on their "christian" theology. i don't remember all of the details, but something about being the descendents of the jewish nation and being the forerunners of the 144,000.

[lookout123]

ah, now the jw - they are fun. i don't one for a couple of months who was an absolute fiend in the bedroom. (and the kitchen, laundry room, living room, car, elevator, office floor, and restaurant now that i think about it ) but it was fun to mess with her, because they don't do birthdays, holidays, etc.

[lookout123]

i'm originally from illinois (as are the LDS), i live in arizona (largely mormon), and my company has a VERY large mormon presence. i've self educated a bit over the years. i am an avid reader and whenever i have a mormon with me i find an excuse to go to the bookstore. if they see a book that maligns the LDS faith in any way they are required to buy it so it is no longer in circulation.

i like the wedding ceremony personally. she has to tell him her secret name, but he doesn't tell her his. and the super duper LDS undies rock, of course.

[Trilby]

omg--this is how out of it I am on these Christianfolk---they are Seventh Day Adventists!! Oh, how embarrassing but I don't pay much attention to who they are--they are just weird and strict which, to me, translates into any Christian group. So, Lookout, you're right. Not LDS-SDA. Tomato-Tomahto in my book. The only Christian religion I really know is Catholicism because I was raised one (Catholic shcools all thru) but, really, I didn't pay attention much to that, either. I just know my knees were sore from kneeling for 1/2 of the Mass and the holy water was always icy-cold. and here I was, maligning the poor LDS! Well, similar initials and besides, the JW were just at my door, confusing me.

[Trilby]

Lookout, how much do you know about the Mormon's? They have one freaky story to tell. Veeeeeeery interesting. Especially the golden thing-y's they found in New York. Fascinating stuff. Some cute Mormon girls came to my father's door last year, he acted interested (of course he did, the old perv!) and they NEVER let up on him! They kept coming back. My mother had to finally tell them not to return. Dad was heartbroken! Mind you, he's 75 and they were in their early twenty's....pretty good strategy.

[Happy Monkey]

South Park had a good rundown of the basics of Mormon mythology.
Either Matt or Trey is a former Mormon.

[Trilby]

JW's have pre-marital sex?? Are you sure this one wasn't just trying to get out? I really thought JW's were really, really...bummers?