If you ask college students (probably any population, really) if they are a smoker or if they smoke, they'll say no.
Some of those students who said "no" can be found on the weekend, drinking a few beers and smoking a cigarette.
They weren't lying when they said "no". They don't consider themselves "a smoker", don't think they "smoke" when it is just a few cigarettes that they bummed from a friend on the weekend.
How do they answer the smoking-related questions for health insurance? Are they lying if they say no? What if they smoke only on the weekends, and are one of the lucky 30% who do not become addicted, are they still lying?
Health choices do not happen in a vacuum, and it is the rare person that can say they perform a healthy behavior 100% of the time. Always. Even with laws, such as seat belt laws to protect our physical health in cars...can you say you wear them 100% of the time? Yes? What if you are in the back seat? What about that one time you were in a family member's car at night and couldn't dig out the buckle. Health behaviors just aren't black-and-white, and I think it's unfair for health insurance companies to suggest they are.
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I thought of one more thing! :-)
If you ask college students (probably any population, really) if they are a smoker or if they smoke, they'll say no.
Some of those students who said "no" can be found on the weekend, drinking a few beers and smoking a cigarette.
They weren't lying when they said "no". They don't consider themselves "a smoker", don't think they "smoke" when it is just a few cigarettes that they bummed from a friend on the weekend.
How do they answer the smoking-related questions for health insurance? Are they lying if they say no? What if they smoke only on the weekends, and are one of the lucky 30% who do not become addicted, are they still lying?
Health choices do not happen in a vacuum, and it is the rare person that can say they perform a healthy behavior 100% of the time. Always. Even with laws, such as seat belt laws to protect our physical health in cars...can you say you wear them 100% of the time? Yes? What if you are in the back seat? What about that one time you were in a family member's car at night and couldn't dig out the buckle. Health behaviors just aren't black-and-white, and I think it's unfair for health insurance companies to suggest they are.
February 16, 2008 - 12:55pmThis Comment
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