When exchanging currency, the exchange rate may seem straightforward, but hidden fees and unfavorable rates can add up quickly. In this Dollars for pounds blog post, we will delve into the true cost of converting dollars for pounds, shedding light on the factors that impact the final price you pay. Let’s uncover the real price of exchanging currency and how to ensure you get the best deal possible.
I was incredibly disturbed to read in The Age newspaper today that health insurance companies are about to start giving financial rewards to members for losing weight with products such as diet drugs and meal replacements. Incredibly disturbed is underestimating it actually. Insurance companies are stating they are offering these incentives in the hopes people will stay out of hospital for obesity related concerns and for making requests for lap band surgery. This will supposedly keep premiums down and mean less hospitalisations.
Dollars For Pounds…But What’s The Real Price?
Clearly, for a health insurance company, anything they can do to keep people out of hospital (for whatever reason) is a bonus for them. They don’t have to make expensive payouts, even though, yes, you or I, or anyone else with insurance, has insured themselves to pay for it. How this new scheme is being done though is alarmingly short sighted and once again, pays no attention to the emotional or psychological reasons associated with weight concerns, someone’s natural set weight and shape, or the potential ramifications of placing people on nutritionally deficient weight loss programs.
As well as encouraging people to sign up for non medically supported programs such as Jenny Craig and Ultralite, some insurance companies are offering a health coaching program. On initial reading I thought this might have been somewhat better, but was deflated and angered to find out it is not a health program at all encompassing all aspects of a person’s wellbeing, but rather a weight loss program that tells people to replace meals with low-calorie milkshakes and soups. In other words, it is a rapid fire, quick ‘fix’ solution to get someone to lose a dramatic amount of weight in a short period of time via non-nutritional, whole food eating.
The question that is pounding away in my head about all this is whether or not these insurance companies will financially support someone if, as a result of encouraging this incentive based dieting, they develop an eating disorder? Considering these psychological illnesses take on average 5 years to ‘recover’ from, usually via expensive in patient treatment (affordable only to a very fortunate few), family therapists, psychologists, counsellors, dieticians, nutritionists and any other number of expensive practitioners – I somehow doubt it. In fact, I doubt the thought that encouraging people into these fad and restrictive diets may actually see someone develop the negative and body loathing mindset that is at the core of an eating disorder has even crossed their mind.
This just goes to prove how discriminating and short sighted our health system can be. If insurance companies were totally genuine about helping people with morbid obesity who were experiencing health related issues – they would go about it in a much more holistic way than just throwing cash at them for reaching a ‘goal weight’ set by an Ultralite consultant. Instead of constantly thinking the answer to these issues is dieting (when combined with low self esteem is the major predictor for the development of an eating disorder! Anyone from an insurance company listening?) and unsustainable weight loss, let’s start thinking about addressing the health of the whole person.
When exchanging dollars for pounds, the real price goes beyond just the currency conversion. Factors like exchange rates, fees, and commissions all play a role in determining the actual cost. It’s essential to consider these aspects to ensure you’re getting the best deal. By sharing your experiences or questions in the comments, you can help others navigate this financial terrain more effectively. Remember, knowledge is power when it comes to managing your money wisely!
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