let's commit insurance fraud...
January 15, 2007 1:39 AM Subscribe
I have dental, she does not. that bugs me. help me commit insurance fraud...
act one:
imagine there is someone you like. someone who is chasing a dream but just hasn't gotten it right quite yet. someone who is working hard, let's say three jobs, who has a plan, who is full of ambitions. someone who has terrifying tooth aches but no dental coverage. let's make that worse: this person has no health insurance at all, no savings, and hasn't seen a dentist in a decade.
act two:
imagine you not only have dental insurance, you have a whoopadoodle-amazing PPO plan. no referrals, dental, vision, general ... anything. you realize where this is going, don't you...
act three:
I can throw someone I don't owe anything (and who hasn't asked me) a bone. I can help someone in a way meaningful to them without much difficulty to myself. adding a spouse to my coverage would run me something around twenty bucks per month.
can I do the same for a girlfriend? do I have to pretend she is living here, does it matter how long we know each other? any other potential hurdles or stories I would have to get straight?
(legality, ethics? deaf ears. I'm living in a society where people dream about health insurance.)
act one:
imagine there is someone you like. someone who is chasing a dream but just hasn't gotten it right quite yet. someone who is working hard, let's say three jobs, who has a plan, who is full of ambitions. someone who has terrifying tooth aches but no dental coverage. let's make that worse: this person has no health insurance at all, no savings, and hasn't seen a dentist in a decade.
act two:
imagine you not only have dental insurance, you have a whoopadoodle-amazing PPO plan. no referrals, dental, vision, general ... anything. you realize where this is going, don't you...
act three:
I can throw someone I don't owe anything (and who hasn't asked me) a bone. I can help someone in a way meaningful to them without much difficulty to myself. adding a spouse to my coverage would run me something around twenty bucks per month.
can I do the same for a girlfriend? do I have to pretend she is living here, does it matter how long we know each other? any other potential hurdles or stories I would have to get straight?
(legality, ethics? deaf ears. I'm living in a society where people dream about health insurance.)
This post was deleted for the following reason: don't ask for help breaking the law, and don't do it in overly cutesy ways.
I am neither a lawyer nor serial fraudster (if there's a difference). But it sounds like what you want to do is go down to the courthouse, get married, get her the help she needs, then get the marriage annulled on grounds that you were actually drunk when you were in the courthouse.
posted by 0xFCAF at 2:05 AM on January 15, 2007
posted by 0xFCAF at 2:05 AM on January 15, 2007
Once I was living with a male friend (in no way whatsoever were we romantically involved) who offered to add me to his insurance plan. His company recognized domestic partners, and though we were roommates, I lived in the house he owned (I paid rent) so it would have worked out. I opted out of it, however, because in the eyes of Texas we would have been considered common-law married, which would have made things difficult when the time came for me to move out (he didn't want me to leave because he didn't want to lose the income my rent was bringing in. He threatened to sue me but I hadn't signed a contract, rental agreement or any legal binding. Had I been on his insurance surely things would have worked out differently for me).
Anyway, the point of that boring story is that perhaps your company recogonizes common-law marriage. My husband's does. If that's the case, sign her up. If your company doesn't recognize common-laws, perhaps your state does? In some places, it's ridiculously easy — in Texas you must live together for at least 30 days, and you must represent yourselves as husband and wife to others.
Unfortunately, I don't see LA, NYC or Chicago in that link, but you should still research. Nonetheless, I'd say go for it.
posted by Brittanie at 2:06 AM on January 15, 2007
Anyway, the point of that boring story is that perhaps your company recogonizes common-law marriage. My husband's does. If that's the case, sign her up. If your company doesn't recognize common-laws, perhaps your state does? In some places, it's ridiculously easy — in Texas you must live together for at least 30 days, and you must represent yourselves as husband and wife to others.
Unfortunately, I don't see LA, NYC or Chicago in that link, but you should still research. Nonetheless, I'd say go for it.
posted by Brittanie at 2:06 AM on January 15, 2007
Your heart is in a commendable place. Your head is up your not.
You throwing the lady a bone is manning up, and picking up some dental bills, because you commiserate with a being in pain, and want to alleviate that. That would include helping with transportation, going along to alleviate fear, and providing aftercare and help with other expenses, if the course of dental treatment causes days of lost work/income, which otherwise wouldn't be affordable for her.
I've been there, and I promise you, fear of the dentist is as big an issue in such cases, as is affordability.
But you lying to an insurance company, to get them to pay for your good intentions isn't Nobel worthy, it's just nickel and dime fraud. Trailer trash style low cunning, without a shred of nobility, that she's liable to see as such.
You make good coin, and going along to the dentist, explaining, advocating, encouraging and paying for someone in need of treatment will, believe me, qualify you for the special, special Good Samaritan Family Plan Rate. You can do this. And maybe, you should.
posted by paulsc at 2:13 AM on January 15, 2007 [2 favorites]
You throwing the lady a bone is manning up, and picking up some dental bills, because you commiserate with a being in pain, and want to alleviate that. That would include helping with transportation, going along to alleviate fear, and providing aftercare and help with other expenses, if the course of dental treatment causes days of lost work/income, which otherwise wouldn't be affordable for her.
I've been there, and I promise you, fear of the dentist is as big an issue in such cases, as is affordability.
But you lying to an insurance company, to get them to pay for your good intentions isn't Nobel worthy, it's just nickel and dime fraud. Trailer trash style low cunning, without a shred of nobility, that she's liable to see as such.
You make good coin, and going along to the dentist, explaining, advocating, encouraging and paying for someone in need of treatment will, believe me, qualify you for the special, special Good Samaritan Family Plan Rate. You can do this. And maybe, you should.
posted by paulsc at 2:13 AM on January 15, 2007 [2 favorites]
Can anyone say:
1) Conspiracy to commit fraud
2) Troll
Which one is it? Don't matter, this thread is so deleted
Go Jess!!
posted by dubious at 2:15 AM on January 15, 2007
1) Conspiracy to commit fraud
2) Troll
Which one is it? Don't matter, this thread is so deleted
Go Jess!!
posted by dubious at 2:15 AM on January 15, 2007
I know this isn't what you asked, but I buy my own dental insurance from Safeguard. I have the fanciest plan, and it's something like twelve dollars a month. I find them kind of awesome. (I don't own stock.)
Anyway, if the defrauding doesn't work out, this might be something to keep in mind?
posted by thehmsbeagle at 2:17 AM on January 15, 2007
Anyway, if the defrauding doesn't work out, this might be something to keep in mind?
posted by thehmsbeagle at 2:17 AM on January 15, 2007
If you pretend you are common-law married you expose yourself to the possibility of a palimony suit in the future. Your little gesture of kindness could lead to years of grief.
posted by Osmanthus at 2:20 AM on January 15, 2007
posted by Osmanthus at 2:20 AM on January 15, 2007
If you have that generous of a PPO I would suggest calling your HR rep and simply asking what the relationship restrictions are for your policy. Many moons ago I worked for a firm whose insurance coverage was VERY generous and I could have put anyone on my policy without relationship restrictions. It is the one thing I really miss from my corporate days (OK I also miss the subsidized lattes).
Its not fraud if you are using your insurance's flexibility legally. However, you have established intent for fraud by posting in the manner you have.
Ask your HR rep first and if that is a no go then consider getting her an exam at a either a dental school clinic (cheap prices), walk in clinic or negotiate with a dentist for a discount price based on you paying cash/credit and them not having to deal with an insurance company.
I laud your good intentions. Just be efficient and effective about it.
posted by jadepearl at 2:39 AM on January 15, 2007
Its not fraud if you are using your insurance's flexibility legally. However, you have established intent for fraud by posting in the manner you have.
Ask your HR rep first and if that is a no go then consider getting her an exam at a either a dental school clinic (cheap prices), walk in clinic or negotiate with a dentist for a discount price based on you paying cash/credit and them not having to deal with an insurance company.
I laud your good intentions. Just be efficient and effective about it.
posted by jadepearl at 2:39 AM on January 15, 2007
Not sure about Chicargo, but in my area, for my plan, I could include a girlfriend if she was living in the same address, and apparently my state did not have common law marrage or domestic partnership laws or anything like that to worry about.
Not fraud, perfectly legimate. If (as it sounds like) she isn't living at the same address, then you might want to look into what defines place of residence and see if the minimum possible criteria offers anything workable there.
posted by -harlequin- at 3:08 AM on January 15, 2007
Not fraud, perfectly legimate. If (as it sounds like) she isn't living at the same address, then you might want to look into what defines place of residence and see if the minimum possible criteria offers anything workable there.
posted by -harlequin- at 3:08 AM on January 15, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by krautland at 1:42 AM on January 15, 2007