Wow! Those facebook pics sure got some attention!

November 23, 2009 · Posted in Featured, Government, Health Care, People in the news, Politics, Rant, Social Change, Social Issues, Society, Things to think about, Topic Blogs · Comment 

15463173Interesting story out of Quebec, if you haven’t read the article, do so.  Once again, a story comes along that just sends my editorial neurons out of whack. 

So, you go to the doctor and are diagnosed with severe depression…so severe that she is forced to go on short term disability for a year from her employer…all the while receiving payments from her employer’s insurance carrier.

All of this sounds normal to me, except for one thing…the diagnosis of the depression.  I am not a shrink and I don’t hob nob in the circles of shrinkdom and psychiatric medicine, but I am curious as to how “definitive” a diagnosis of clinical depression really is. 

She was seen by a doctor, she was told she was depressed, she was also told to see friends as a way to get herself better…still sounds relatively normal to me….but…..

In my blogging view, if you can jump around the beach, visit your friends, smile for random party pics, and post them on your facebook account…how come you can’t wake up and go to work?

Insurance companies use these tactics all the time to avoid fraud and in many opinions other then mine, this woman committed insurance fraud, or at least in the eyes of the insurance carrier. 

There are issues with what happened here.  It is sad that insurance carriers are forced to take these measures because there is so much fraud in the claims arena, what other option do they have? Video taping customers is common practice especially when money is involved, money that ultimately is funded by you and I.

The insurance companies definition of “depressed” obviously differs from the doctor’s.  All the while, Miss Blanchard fell victim to her own social networking profile (tch tch tch)….and her decision to post them was a costly one.   (Oh and for all those “right to privacy” fanatics out there please shush yourself…the Internet isn’t private but you already knew that) 

In the end, with a slick attorney, she will probably get her money back…but ask yourself something…after seeing an incident like this…are you sure you want to post some of those pics?

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Simple thought #4 – Creating a North American Union

June 17, 2009 · Posted in Funny and Odd, Government, Rant · Comment 

Simple thought #4

I am curious why we do not eliminate the borders between the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. I say we give Americans and Canadians, as well as Mexicans full citizenship rights throughout North America. This accomplishes a few things that deserve discussion. First it eliminates the need for border patrol, except for coastal areas and a tiny strip of land in Panama. It would give Canadians and Americans the right to own land in Mexico, for the first time, which would create a huge stimulus event as Americans moved to the coast of Baja, and the Gulf areas. Basically every person living in the Midwest could now afford coastal property in gorgeous coastal Mexico. Third, it would create a balance of labor, as poorer areas would have plenty of work available to them as the growth boomed in coastal areas for the next 10 – 20 years, and there would be a huge supply of homes available in the Heartland as agriculture booms and non-agricultural workers move to the new coastal communities.

Anyway, just a simple thought for you to ponder.

Oh, and did I mention between Canada, Mexico and the United States there are enough natural resources to supply all of our energy consumption needs for the foreseeable future.

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