A series that runs every Tuesday, where I ask questions unrelated to the environment, fair trade, or local politics that I’ve been wondering about but haven’t been able to google the answers to. Any advice is appreciated.
Reader Lisa wrote me a while back, asking if there’s such a thing as green health insurance — “anything like Working Assets where maybe a tiny portion of our outrageous premiums goes to something good and not just gulped down the corporate profit margin?”
I’ve tried to do a lil research, but haven’t found anything appropriate — Though I have found out about eco-dentistry….
As a grad student, I get free health insurance through USC. It’s Blue Cross, and it’s treated me well — because it has to under the school policy. Outside USC, Blue Cross has been a bad, bad corporation.
Still, since I live in the US, where we sadly still don’t have health coverage for all, I’m sort of of the opinion that finding good, reliable insurance is the key issue here, let alone any greening. Good, reliable health coverage’s tough to find in the US, so my advice is to focus on getting the best health care you can afford. I like my readers healthy –
That said, I’m curious, as is Lisa. Know of any green health insurance? Actually, I’d be interested in hearing what company you’re going with and why and how they’re treating you — It’s useful info for all –
Update, 4/14/07: No green docs, but a Green Guide for Health Care, “the first and only sustainable design toolkit tailored to the health care industry,” is now out. (via TreeHugger)
Kaiser Permanente – because my company offers it.
Always treated me well, and I like the fact that they try to focus on prevention, not treatment. Well, it doesn’t hurt that they’re not-for-profit, either.
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — March 27, 2007 @ 1:13 pm
BC/BS is non-profit and it doesn’t keep them from being evil. Kaiser also has its share of horror stories as well (e.g. the organ transplant scandal).
But heaven forbid that we get a national health care system like those Canadians or Brits or French or Germans or because sometimes they have to WAIT for non-critical health care. It’s not like it took me a year of hoop-jumping to get my ear surgery under the US system. Oh wait, it did.
Comment by don hosek — March 27, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
The Canadian health system sucks. Big ones. My parents and all their friends save their money to come to the US for any care beyond the basic physical. They’ve done it for years. Even as kids we paid cash (and the Canadian dollar is worth less than a US Dollar) and crossed in to Northern Minnesota for our health care, odd surgeries etc.,.
Why screw with something that works well? My family and I have had Kaiser since we arrived in SoCal…and we have a choice, and could not be happier.
Comment by frazgo — March 27, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
Kaiser, baby. Efficient, inexpensive, and good for small business owners who are healthy. Knock on wood.
Comment by Summer — March 28, 2007 @ 10:30 am
It appears that if one’s healthy and able to pay for US health insurance, then one’s okay.
The problem really occurs for the USAmericans who are either unhealthy or can’t afford to pay health insurance premiums.
Yet the alternatives offered by other countries don’t sound too good. They do, however, seem to offer a modicum of security for all.
Hmmm….
Comment by Siel — April 1, 2007 @ 8:41 pm
If there was an eco-friendly dentist in the Santa Monica area, do you think you would give it a try?
Comment by Navi — August 14, 2007 @ 7:30 am