Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: aids testing and insurance
From: RGINZBERG@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Ruth Ginzberg)
Date: 17 Dec 92 19:50:34 EDT
Distribution: world
Organization: Philosophy Dept., Wesleyan University
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20In-Reply-To: marco@sdf.lonestar.org's message of Wed, 16 Dec 1992 12:31:35 GMTLines: 56

In <BzCqso.Gr2@sdf.lonestar.org> marco@sdf.lonestar.org writes:

> In article <1992Dec11.104956.517@news.wesleyan.edu> I (Ruth Ginzberg) wrote:
  <story about refusing to be tested by their nurse in my home deleted>
 
> You should also know they probably made a database entry that notes that 
> you were turned down for coverage for refusal to test.  Watch for this 
> if you should apply for insurance in the future. BTW: The odds are that

Interesting.   Wasn't there a Privacy Act in about 1969 or something like that
which guarantees me access to any database information kept by some third party 
about myself?  I oughta look it up.

> the phlebotomy kit was _TOTALLY_ sterile. As sterile as you'd find in
> an ambulance taking you to the hospital, Ruth. If you refuse to test, that's
> one thing. To blame your cancellation on an irrational fear of kit sterility,
> is another matter entirely.

You're right.  The complaint about the sterility of the kit isn't really my
main problem with the whole thing (so I shouldn't have mentioned it).  My main
problem with the whole thing is that I don't like the idea of my life insurance
company invading MY HOUSE in order to test me for AIDS.  My home is my castle. 
The only people who get to come in are the folks that I invite.  I did not
invite my life insurance company to tea.  That's why I don't want them in my
house.

Now if they make a note in some giant insurance co database that I was turned
down for "refusal to test" that's just plain false & I'd feel somewhat inclined
to raise a stink about it.  I made it clear that I'd be happy to be tested for
HIV antibodies by my own primary care physician (who, by-the-by, I'd most
prefer to have break me the news if I WERE HIV+).  I also offered to be given
any sort of physical they deemed fit, including an HIV test, by a physician of
THEIR choice, but I insisted that it be performed by a physician, in a medical
facility.

I don't think these are such unreasonable demands.  After all, my house is MY
HOUSE, and I (not an insurance company) get to decide who is invited in and who
is not.  Furthermore, my BODY is MY BODY, and I (not some insurance co) get to
retain the final say about who gets to examine it, and where, and which parts
of it, and under what circumstances.

.soapbox on

I'm sick & tired of losing more & more control over the most private aspects of
my life just to make it easier for some profit-making corporation to make
larger profits.  So fine.  If they don't want to sell me life insurance, then
if I die before my kid(s) finish college, then social security (rather than my
private insurance) will pay their tuition(s).  This is the only real need I
have for life insurance.  So if they don't wanna sell it to me, its their loss
(I'm actually probably an excellent risk.  ha, ha. joke's on them.).

.soapbox off

------------------------
Ruth Ginzberg <rginzberg@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Philosophy Department;Wesleyan University;USA
Newsgroups: sci.med