Thread: Women insurance benefits cut due to Facebook

No, No this isn't a post to say the company is evil etc. Its more about how the women is an idiot, imo.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/lifestyl...ternetfacebook

Originally Posted by AFP

Facebook can be a double-edged sword, a Canadian woman learned when an insurance company cut her health benefits, claiming she was healthy after seeing pictures of her smiling in bikini at the beach.

Nathalie Blanchard, 29, took long-term sick leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, more than a year ago for severe depression. She was receiving monthly benefits from her insurance company, Manulife.

When Blanchard called Manulife to inquire why the payments dried up, the insurance company said that "I'm available to work, because of Facebook," she told CBC television.

She said that Manulife cited several pictures Blanchard had posted on her social networking website page, including some showing her enjoying herself during a male strip-tease show at a Chippendales bar, celebrating her birthday and bathing in the sun.

Based on these postings, the firm claimed Blanchard was no longer depressed.

Manulife declined to comment on the incident but said in a statement that "we would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on websites such as Facebook."

But the company did recognize that it uses such information to learn more about their clients.

I'm no psychiatrist, but it seems terrible to punish someone that is trying to combat depression for going out in the sun and having fun/communicating with her friends.

Just like it's terrible to bilk insurance companies with fradulent claims, thereby causing others using that insurance company to see higher premiums?

It's not like there is any real data on this out there, considering that everyone's playing cards close to the vest due to a big legal fight coming up. It could be that she's defrauding the insurance company, or it could be an insurance company is being a d-bag. It'll be interesting to see what data comes out in the case. If it comes down to penalizing an actual depressed person for going outside and being with her friends then damn is that bad.

Don't you have to add someone on facebook for them to see your pictures?

Originally Posted by Red_Lizard2

Don't you have to add someone on facebook for them to see your pictures?

theres different levels of privacy settings. the default is everyone in the world can see everything

Life must suck for people who are depressed. The rest of us really should suck it up and pay their way. If it takes hanging out at strip clubs and the beach to cheer them up, then we should also pay the strippers and cabana tabs.

Hitch

Geeze, I didn't know FaceBook was a licensed Psychiatrist that could diagnose a patient depressed or not.