Social Media Gone Awry: Health Insurance Looking for Pre-existing Conditions

Pre-existing conditions are something every individual should worry about when applying for health insurance. It can be the difference between being accepted or denied, having a high or low premium and the amount of deductible charged. Health Insurance companies go to great lengths to find these conditions, making sure no one lie don their application, or sometimes to find a reason to cancel a policy when a condition is found that could have been linked to something in the past.

Could social media cause a problem in the near future? Employers are already researching peoples profiles on Facebook and Myspace to gain insight into their lives, as most post whatever they want freely thinking that there are no repercussions. Imagine if Health Insurers decided to do the same.

What if one day you decided to complain about a stomach illness, or ongoing medical condition that you hadn’t even visited a doctor for. What if one day a person was in a depressed mood and decided to post how much they disliked life, or how badly they felt, etc? Is it right and fair for a Health Insurance comapny to decide on  policy and benefits based on that information? Is it even possible?

To my knowledge this has not yet occurred, however, it is a dangerous possibility. People should be careful what they post online; let it be neutral, you never know who is watching.