Drinking and Finances
Admittedly, having a quality drink can be expensive, which is why I wrote an entry about buying booze on a budget. However, for those who really need to watch their money closely, this article at MSN Money could prove useful. It covers more than just alcohol but other “vices”. (I personally don’t believe that alcohol per se is a vice. It really depends on an individual’s attitude and usage of it.) In fact, I recently quit my job (my last day is April 19), so this sort of article is both informative and immediately helpful.
The most interesting thing I got from this article is the following:
Speaking of insurance, though it’s not generally known, insurers in all but four states (as of 2004) can include a provision in your policy that exempts them from paying for damages or losses you sustained while intoxicated. Though this escape clause in the Uniform Accident and Sickness Policy Provision Law (or UPPL) is most-often included in health-care coverage, some jurisdictions allow it in accident, long-term care and disability policies, too.
For those of you in Massachusetts, the commonwealth appears not to be on the list as of April 15, 2004 according to Effect of the Uniform Accident and Sickness Policy Provision Law on Alcohol Screening and Intervention in Trauma Centers (PDF). However, with the current state of health insurance in MA, who the heck knows what’ll happen next?
