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Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

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Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#11

Post by quink »

wufufufu wrote: post #5

Maybe if you're smart enough to do that, you're smart enough to care about your health in other ways and thus you should still fit into the price model that the insurance company uses ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m on Medicare in Australia (so universal healthcare mostly funded by 2% of all taxable income that came in real handy for me last year) and I have an incentive to walk 10,000 steps every morning. A coffee with artificial sweetener from 7 Eleven will do it. And I aim to listen to good podcasts or the like while I do.

I wouldn’t do it otherwise. Even the flimsiest of pretenses will do it.

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#12

Post by Steltek »

I bike 15+ miles a day but my work's discount program doesn't "support" biking. If I was into vigilante justice, I'd consider a solution like this too. But as it is, I'm quite content biking for my own sake rather than some pittance of a benefit.

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#13

Post by saagarjha »

craftyguy wrote: post #4
saagarjha wrote: post #3

This would presumably work as long as your insurance provider doesn't have access to your location or any other means of figuring out that your exercise routine is odd.

You could claim you were on a treadmill

Right, in the middle of a Harbin restaurant where a bunch of other people like to also seem to like "running on the treadmill".

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#14

Post by eli »

ams6110 wrote: post #9
kpwags wrote: post #6

I wonder how many people use stuff like this to cheat the system? I remember seeing someone on reddit bragging about attaching their Fitbit to a reciprocating saw to get more steps than his wife. I couldn't figure out why it was that important, but with insurance discounts, I can definitely see the financial incentives.

A lot. I'd be surprised if any Business Management 101 class didn't teach that if there is a reward involved, people will maximize for whatever critera you measure.

Goodhart's law: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#15

Post by ikeboy »

xd1936 wrote: post #8
wufufufu wrote: post #5

Maybe if you're smart enough to do that, you're smart enough to care about your health in other ways and thus you should still fit into the price model that the insurance company uses ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Smart people ≠ healthy people

There's a strong correlation between IQ and life expectancy, possibly mostly genetic

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#16

Post by rsynnott »

wufufufu wrote: post #5

Maybe if you're smart enough to do that, you're smart enough to care about your health in other ways and thus you should still fit into the price model that the insurance company uses ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm not sure what leads you to believe that smart people are particularly healthy.

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#17

Post by 45h34jh53k4j »

quink wrote: post #11
wufufufu wrote: post #5

Maybe if you're smart enough to do that, you're smart enough to care about your health in other ways and thus you should still fit into the price model that the insurance company uses ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m on Medicare in Australia (so universal healthcare mostly funded by 2% of all taxable income that came in real handy for me last year) and I have an incentive to walk 10,000 steps every morning. A coffee with artificial sweetener from 7 Eleven will do it. And I aim to listen to good podcasts or the like while I do. I wouldn’t do it otherwise. Even the flimsiest of pretenses will do it.

You are in aussie and drink 7/11 coffee by choice? Turn in your Australia card mate...

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#18

Post by Johnny555 »

Steltek wrote: post #12

I bike 15+ miles a day but my work's discount program doesn't "support" biking. If I was into vigilante justice, I'd consider a solution like this too. But as it is, I'm quite content biking for my own sake rather than some pittance of a benefit.

When my friend was in a corporate fitness challenge, he strapped the company-issued pedometer on his ankle to get credit for his biking. Not sure if he told the company that he did that, but his team won the competition.

Re: Smartphone cradle used to cheat “10k steps/day” health insurance discounts

#20

Post by Johnny555 »

ams6110 wrote: post #9
kpwags wrote: post #6

I wonder how many people use stuff like this to cheat the system? I remember seeing someone on reddit bragging about attaching their Fitbit to a reciprocating saw to get more steps than his wife. I couldn't figure out why it was that important, but with insurance discounts, I can definitely see the financial incentives.

A lot. I'd be surprised if any Business Management 101 class didn't teach that if there is a reward involved, people will maximize for whatever critera you measure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect

The term cobra effect originated in an anecdote set at the time of British rule of colonial India. The British government was concerned about the number of venomous cobra snakes in Delhi.[3] The government therefore offered bounty for every dead cobra. Initially this was a successful strategy as large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward. Eventually, however, enterprising people began to breed cobras for the income. When the government became aware of this, the reward program was scrapped, causing the cobra breeders to set the now-worthless snakes free. As a result, the wild cobra population further increased. The apparent solution for the problem made the situation even worse

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