Err on the side of caution and say nothing??.......once it is documented anywhere there is a chance it will be accessed now or in the future. Even if you gave up they would still say "ex-smoker" and brand you that way forever.....
When You Tell Your Doctor You Smoke a Pipe...
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Could you do me a favor then, hack into the database and change my records to appear more insurable? Non smoker, no pre existing condition, perfect health? I'll send you a few tins of your favorite tobacco in return.
To elaborate on what npod said, if a medical provider uses an electronic medical records system that was subsidized by the federal government they are required to get certain information from you regarding tobacco use, sexual activity and other things you would never dream anybody would ever want to know about you.
Regarding HIPPA, most of us signed a waver with our insurance company since they need to know everything about your medical condition to provide the appropriate benefits.
So if you ever went to an emergency department and gave them your medical history about smoking, your insurance company will probably contact you at some point about it. They don't care if you smoked a pipe, cigar or used snuff. You are now deemed a tobacco user.
My dentist still uses paper records and I pay cash, so I freely let him know about my pipe smoking. I get an oral cancer check every six months along with my dental checkup.
For my annual checkups I state that I am a non-smoker. Then when I'm with the physician I tell him "off the record" about my pipe smoking. He was ok with it as long as I keep my dental appointments. He promised he wouldn't turn me in =)
Regarding HIPPA, most of us signed a waver with our insurance company since they need to know everything about your medical condition to provide the appropriate benefits.
So if you ever went to an emergency department and gave them your medical history about smoking, your insurance company will probably contact you at some point about it. They don't care if you smoked a pipe, cigar or used snuff. You are now deemed a tobacco user.
My dentist still uses paper records and I pay cash, so I freely let him know about my pipe smoking. I get an oral cancer check every six months along with my dental checkup.
For my annual checkups I state that I am a non-smoker. Then when I'm with the physician I tell him "off the record" about my pipe smoking. He was ok with it as long as I keep my dental appointments. He promised he wouldn't turn me in =)
deckpiper: Ask your insurance provider. It'd be a bad thing to discover, just when you need insurance, they've determined you're a fraud and refuse payments. There are plenty of insurance companies who provide, at reasonable prices, to smokers, no need to hide your wee vice or to be embarrassed.
I can't weigh in on the question you posted deckpiper, but I would definitely check if smoking a pipe once a week counts you as a smoker in their eyes. Warren gives good advice right there.
When I first started seeing my current doctor I was going through a period of cigar smoking more than pipe smoking. I was smoking maybe 3 or 4 cigars a week. His nurse would put light smoker in the records each time I had an appointment. A couple of years later I went back to just pipes and she asked if I was still smoking an occasional cigar. I said no, I gave up cigars. She put non-smoker in my records. She didn't ask if I was smoking pipes.
My doctor does know I smoke a pipe and I have told him its usually only once a day. He's happy with all of my test results and thinks it may help to keep my blood pressure where it needs to be.
My doctor does know I smoke a pipe and I have told him its usually only once a day. He's happy with all of my test results and thinks it may help to keep my blood pressure where it needs to be.
I'm listed on my Medicare and secondary insurance as a "Tobacco User". I pay extra for my tobacco use with my secondary insurance. I'm up front with my insurance providers and doctors and make no apologies for my smoking. Of course my doctors don't care for my tobacco use, but they don't pay my bills do they. My advice is be honest, it's too easy to get caught.
It is something the her employer required. Not the insurance company but the hospital system she is part of.
When we bought our first house I was working as a tobacconist. My agent told me to stop smoking for two weeks before the blood test. Well, I did not like that reasoning based on exactly what Warren mentioned plus I was around cigar and pipe smoke all day. The day of the blood test, I smoked my pipe as usual and even had a cigar or two. Results came back negative and we were given preferred non smoking rates, even though I informed them of my smoking. This probably would not happen if I sought to get life insurance now due to the anti smoking agenda these days.
The science isn't there, if science counts for anything, because the pipe smoking cohort appropriate for a study is too spread out. The population is too small to attain funding for a study. None of this matters, but it's worth noting. A bowl a day might address anxiety and depression with fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals, as a hypothesis.
Don't over simplify insurance ratings. Smoking is also an indicator of a person's willingness to take risk, an indicator of how one looks after their health in general. Smoking is not a single indicator looked at only in its totality. Smoking is simply one of a number of indicators which, taken together, are used in determining insurance rates.
It's a "need to know" basis. He doesn't really need to know. Neither does my insurance company - which has revealed it has some ethical difficulties.
If one wants to get paid by insurance, then you have to document you asked about smoking and if positive, show that the asked the patient about quitting. As said before, the insurance company does not distinguish between inhaled cigarettes and pipe smoking...they also use BMI to to determine obesity...though originally BMI was never meant to determine obesity as it doesn’t take into account body type...doesn’t matter.
I doubt your health insurance will raise your rates over it...but getting life insurance is another matter...they will definitely test your urine or blood and give you a higher rate if it is positive
Of course none of this is based on good solid science...I assume there is a small risk to smoking a pipe at my age...but it is my decision to make and I am willing to accept this for the pleasure it gives me.
I doubt your health insurance will raise your rates over it...but getting life insurance is another matter...they will definitely test your urine or blood and give you a higher rate if it is positive
Of course none of this is based on good solid science...I assume there is a small risk to smoking a pipe at my age...but it is my decision to make and I am willing to accept this for the pleasure it gives me.
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