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July 16, 2003

Gaming Application

Jane and I are independent workers. If we wanted Health Insurance, it was up to Jane and Justin to get it for us. A friend recommended "EHealthInsurance.com" - sounds like a permanent remnant of the e-glory days of yore.

On the site, I found a plan for $50 a month - I get two doctors visits a year, and coverage after I spend $3500 on my next catastrophic accident. I had a mile of forms to fill out on the web. Have you ever been an inpatient or an outpatient? You mean, have I ever been to a hospital? Sure. What were you there for? Uh, appendix removal. What was the name of your operating physician?

Huh? I'm supposed to remember the name of the guy who pulled out a wad of puss that was my appendix? In 1995? Har har - I barely remember the painkillers.

So I backtracked through my application one or two steps, and looked over the forms I'd already filled out. Which option had I chosen that had resulted in the difficult question? Ahh - "have you been an inpatient or outpatient." Let's try changing my answer to that question and seeing what happens with the next form. Ahah! No nagging request for the name of my appendix remover.

I realized two things from this experience - either health care insurers are cracked, or other people keep piles of paperwork about each of their injuries that I have never bothered with. And, games helped train me to understand these web forms as systems that can be manipulated, rigged to provide insurance faster. I can track the options I chose, and experiment with other variables; much like the dense array of color-coded doors you have to unlock at the end of BattleTech I: Crescent Hawk's Inception, for example.

Two other thoughts - I'm glad the forms allowed me to backtrack (maybe they allow it for cases like this). And, I believe this would be unethical if I thought that my appendix removal was a permanent health care burden that would mandate a higher insurance bracket for me if I managed to dig up and publish the truth on my insurance application.

Posted by justin at July 16, 2003 07:24 PM | TrackBack

Comments

....but what if you are refused a refund because you filled out your forms incorrectly? Given the generally criminal approach taken by insurance companies I wouldn't be surprised if they tried just that, expecially if you were to present a refund for a large amount.

wish you well.

Posted by: Guglielmo on July 17, 2003 02:44 AM

this is an irresponsible post, justin. there are many reasons to answer the question of your inpatient/outpatient history correctly: the most important being that you do not have the experience or knowledge to assess the ramifications of surgery--however minor--that you had eight years ago. guglielmo is right, health insurers are very picky (and crooked) regarding preexisting conditions, and their refusal to cover some/many of these is utterly unfair, but you are setting yourself up for a nasty surprise the day some doctor discovers you lied about your medical history.

Posted by: adriana on July 17, 2003 10:12 AM

While I can't really fathom the ramifications of an appendix removal on your current state of health, I think the parallels you draw between game systems and other systems are accurate. Games are essentially systems which much be understood and exploited, and this can teach us to better understand real-world systems, as well as how to manipulate them, instead of merely taking them for granted.

Posted by: Ken on July 17, 2003 10:40 AM

Well, at least computerized real world experiences.

Posted by: Nate on July 17, 2003 07:01 PM

Lookee here... talk about insurance and you get 4 comments. Talk about gamers spending $500 on stupid shit and you get 83 comments. Go figure...

Posted by: Fleischman on July 17, 2003 07:57 PM

lol .. imagine that.

Posted by: Jeff on July 17, 2003 09:49 PM

Actually, I believe the lessons learned from game systems can be applied to all systems, not simply computerized ones. Even natural systems typically have basic rules which must be followed or which can be exploited.

Posted by: Ken on July 18, 2003 12:04 PM

Interesting replys there Ken. I enjoy reading about the life lessons we get from games. I believe there are many as there are with fairy tales.

Posted by: Liz on July 19, 2003 07:29 AM

Interesting replys there Ken. I enjoy reading about the life lessons we get from games. I believe there are many as there are with fairy tales.

Posted by: Liz on July 19, 2003 07:29 AM

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that games imitate life, as opposed to the other way around? Get your heads away from the TV's for a second, people. It's kind of sad if you see everything as one big game...

Posted by: Misha on July 24, 2003 05:12 PM

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Posted by: hyhy

on August 28, 2006 07:40 PM

Insurance companies usually have time limits on how far back they look. Usually five years.

Posted by: dmoore

on March 12, 2007 04:04 PM