Are They Actually Allowed To Require That?

My train friend "M" is in the process of changing jobs. She works in a field that is frequently non-profit/grant-based and the grant for her current position is just about done. She found a nice full-time job in a related field closer to home. From the start it sounded a little like a quirky place, but she is excited about the job so I'm happy for her.

This morning she was telling me that they are requiring a physical. That's not out of the ordinary. Different jobs and companies are requiring a once-over to make sure they know what they are in for. Though, I think they are some things they are not allowed to test for.

So she had a hard of a time trying to get in contact with the doctor's office to schedule an appointment. When she finally does, they tell her (I guess because she has an HMO), that she must change her primary doctor to this one that will be conducting the physical. Hang on! Can they actually require you to do that? My first reaction would have to call the employer and find out what's going on. It sounds like the employer is mandating a specific general doctor she is allowed to see. I really hate to say that I've had a rather bad run of luck when it comes to doctors, so being told which general doctor I had to use just doesn't work for me. I think depending on the situation I would consider bailing on the position. That's just too off-the-wall of a requirement for my taste.

But, I started thinking about it a little more. Is it possible they are requiring her to change doctors so her insurance would cover this physical so the township doesn’t have to pay for it? That just rubs me the wrong way too. To me this physical, like a drug test, would be a cost of doing business for hiring new staff – a business expense and the insurance company shouldn't be burdened with paying the cost. I'm trying to remember back in the day the last time I had to take physical for a job if I had to provide insurance information. Honestly it's been about 7 years and I just don't remember, but the county specifically employed that doctor so that could make the difference. Maybe this is common practice these days, to bill the insurance company, but it just rubs me completely the wrong way.

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