So, About Your Smoking...

[Pagan]

And what it is lately that they seemed to be concerned about my drinking? It seems to be some big concern that I'm a woman and a moderate drinker. C'mon, I'm Scots-Irish. My blood is half Scotch, half Guinness, and half tea.

The only suck was the call at home, and truth is it is not even that sucky.

She said "no" in the office and it should have been dropped then. Calling to badger her at home about that, and only that, when that wasn't what she was in for and was waiting for test results, is a little beyond the pale.

[blas]

I've gotten smoking cessation junk from the eye doctor and the dentist as well. I wish they'd just effing drop it.

In fact, the last time I had my teeth cleaned, the dental assistant said "If you don't quit smoking, I guarantee you're going to get gum disease!"

Really? Anything else you can forecast for me so I can be ready for it?

Next time I have a flat tire, I'm blaming it on my smoking.

[ShootMePlease]

This is where I disagree.

I always heard about my smoking and need to lose weight from nearly every medical professional I have come in contact with.

And I am grateful for it.

I finally did quit smoking 5 years ago, and I absolutely notice the difference. I'm still working on my weight, but those 2 things were definitely exacerbators for some of the problems I had. Would I have had a many upper respiratory infections if I didn't smoke ? Probably not. Would my back and feet feel better if I took some of the weight off of them ? Absolutely.

I know all about being in back and foot pain and wanting to know why. But to berate a doctor for caring about your health is a little much. Last time I checked, it was their job to do so.

[Captain Trips]

As to why insurance won't pay for the cessation programs, I think I have an idea. It's the same reason why dental insurance won't pay for implants.

Once upon a time, in a nation not too far away, it was actually expected that a person would end up working for the same company for decades, possibly all their life. In those days, you would of course have the same insurance plan all that time, and insurance companies cared about the long-term health of their subscribers as better health meant less payouts.

Those days are gone. Now, the average length of time most people stay working at one employer is about five years. Insurance companies know this, so are not really concerned any more about a subscriber's long-term health. So, they don't care if you quit smoking - your emphysema will be another insurance companies concern. (Dental insurance is the same way with dentures vs. implants - implants last longer than a lifetime, but by the time your dentures need replacing [which are far cheaper than implants] it will be another insurance company that has to pay. So they make more money if they don't cover implants.)

It's been said before - by President Clinton, I believe: We don't have a health-care crisis in this country. We have a health-care-PAYMENT crisis.

[Ree]

OK...this thread has touched on fratching territory numerous times.

I realize this is "Sickbay" and the original intent of this thread was that a doctor was so fixated on the fact that the patient smoked that he ignored the real reason for the visit, but I'm thinking this thread would have been more suited to fratching right from the start because of the potential to go down the road that it has.

CS is for discussing what is, and fratching is for discussing what should be.

CS is not to debate whether physicians have a duty to monitor their patients' smoking habits (or drinking, or weight), nor to debate when concern for a patient's health crosses to fanaticism over smoking, and it's certainly not the place to debate whether smoking contributes to long term health issues.

CS is not the place to question why insurance companies act as they do, nor to question why some things are not covered on health insurance plans.

I totally sympathize with the OP's friend, and feel that the questions raised are valid, but as I said, the issue is slightly contentious, and is really better suited to fratching.