Just going through different insurance companies to find the best deal on health cover, one thing has occurred to me; Why do none of these insurance companies ask me whether I smoke? Whether I drink excessively? Whether I'm over weight? etc etc...
They only want to know my age!
Is it the usual socialist thing where the very healthy are paying for the rediculous lifestyles of those that over indulge in cigarettes, alcohol and food and thus need more health care?
If so, this assumes that the healthier of us can afford to subsidize the smokers, drinkers and the obese. I object very strongly to this, people make the choice to smoke, drink heavily or eat unhealthily, they should pay a higher premium on their insurances, not us that choose not to smoke, not to drink too much or to eat so much & not excercise that we become obese, bringing with it all of the expensive health complications such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and many other miserable ailments.
I don’t smoke, never have, hate it, but in terms of the French top up insurance, it has to be the same for everyone…to do anything else would be the thin end of the wedge. What next a check of your DNA to see what could be an issue and then load against it?
The French system here is designed to be as fair as possible to the masses, which is the best for the overall community. It is not the greedy, selfish take care of number 1 only type of insurance the US has and I sincerely hope never comes here.
You are not seriously suggesting we go down the USA route, where someone who ends up with cancer becomes uninsurable are you? Because that is what it sounds like. The insurance here means that insurance companies cannot load you because of a family history, past illness and that everyone can be covered, I would not be so selfish as to want anything else as there but for chance go I.
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interesting point Doreen, my late wifes' father died from the effects of Huntingdons Disease but neither insurance companies in the UK or in France thought of it as a problem to them, something I always found bizarre !
well Vic, that's why artisans with more dangerous jobs ie roof tilers etc generally have to pay higher insurance premiums
and Glen, insurance fees are usually modulated to fit individual situations or at least they are with the GAN - I was paying 'x' amount for my complementary health insurance but managed to get a decent reduction when I informed the company I had stopped smoking !
Fair enough Glen but aren't you stereotyping different professions? I spent most of my time at a desk or drawing board & at 6 foot tall never got above 12 stone whereas the guy who put a new flat roof on my office was a bit of a porker. We had a guy in the village who like you was as fit as a butcher's dog. He also trained by running & using the gym & never smoked or drank alcohol. He had a heart attack whilst on his regular bike ride. I attended his funeral a few months ago. Take care on your motorbike. I ride a Honda 750 Custom & know from experience it hurts when one falls off the things!
I'm sure you are statistically correct in your generalizations. I have put on a bit of weight since I retired 11 years ago but I guess that's OK as I am also an old fart & my mutual costs reflect my age:-)
Geoff, I too would be interested to learn the answer to this - although we are both retired, we still have to make tax contributions based on our income (we both receive small occupational pensions on top of the state pension which would also be liable for tax if we still lived in the UK).
I have just been offered a different contract by my mutuelle (ViaSanté) and it seems to say that my cotisations can be used to reduce my tax contributions. (I work under the AE scheme);
Has anyone else deducted their mutuelle cotisations from their tax liability - and if so, please can you tell me on which form - and in which box to make the entry.
Glen. You don't mention occupational risks . Surely medical treatment is likely to be more expensive if you fall off a roof rather than an office chair? :-)
In the same line of thought I could state that I don't want to pay into the state pension plans of those ridiculously healthy people who live way too long...... But seriously, this is called the solidarity of the system and there is a sanction on lifestyle in the form of the own-risk you pay each time you use the healthcare system. The unhealthier your lifestyle the more you'll use it and the more you'll pay.
And besides that it avoids healthcare insurances to become an insurance for something that doesn't need to be insured. And for the none-state issued insurance you normally have a choice between high-priced all-in packages and your basic no-frills-less-premium insurance....
