Insurers are pocketing the health care costs of treating MVA
victims – funds that should be repaid to taxpayers (not to mention OW
and ODSP costs that the taxpayer is unknowingly picking up along with
prescription costs) and this has created a health care $ deficit problem
for Ontario taxpayers. A problem the Financial Services Commission has
known about for years – the Auditor General told the FSCO it needed
fixing in 2011 but nothing was done so the taxpayer has continually paid
some of the medical costs of MVA victims. To ‘cure’ the problem it is
now suggested by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to privatize some
services. Which means more people would have to increase their private
insurer coverage if they are lucky enough to have this extra coverage.
Who benefits? Not the taxpayer and not victims. Insurers who will now
sell consumers the coverage they can no longer get from OHIP.
Simultaneously auto insurance coverage (as of June 1, 2016) is decreased
by over $1 million for the most catastrophically injured among us,
thereby saving insurers about $6-800 million a year in payouts.
Rehabilitation/medical rehab access is also cut by 5 years for all but
children who are injured. http://truthaboutinsurance.ca/benefits-recently-cut-further/ . So
just as MVA victims are about to be increasingly shunted onto the OHIP
system, the proposal is to increase the privatization of that system.
Source/more: http://www.fairassociation.ca/2016/03/putting-the-pieces-together-what-ont-auto-insurers-dont-pay-and-how-it-is-creating-a-crisis/
CIN is a non-profit Advocate for Insurance and Health Care Reform. Postings are cut/paste from other sources. @Cinsurancenews #rally4accidentvictims #ABPetition #CPPbacklog
Saturday, December 31, 2016
The lingering symptoms of a brain injury force me to lead a double life
With lingering
symptoms from a brain injury, I found myself in my late 20s living
with a complex chronic illness. In many ways I had to start over. I
traded a life that I loved for solitude.
Source/more:
Becoming Disabled
A person without a
disability may recognize someone using a wheelchair, a guide dog or a
prosthetic limb, or someone with Down syndrome, but most don’t
conceptualize these people as having a shared social identity and a
political status. “They” merely seem to be people to whom
something unfortunate has happened, for whom something has gone
terribly wrong. The one thing most people do know about being
disabled is that they don’t want to be that.
Source/more:
It's all in their heads
"A concussion
is more a mild form of traumatic brain injury in which the brain is
exposed to abnormal forces that result in transient neurological
dysfunction," Ellis says. "But ‘mild traumatic brain
injury’ is a bit of a misnomer."
Source/more:
Canada’s expensive habit: Adding up opioid abuse’s rising financial toll on the health-care system
Public drug programs
spent $93-million on medications used for addiction to prescription
painkillers and illicit opioids in 2014, compared with $57.3-million
in 2011, according to figures for every province except Quebec
compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) for
The Globe and Mail. In four provinces, this class of opioids ranked
among the top 10 in spending on all prescription drugs – a group
that traditionally includes medications for arthritis, high blood
pressure and high cholesterol.
Source/more:
‘Situation is crisis all the time. There is no plan,’ says Ontario parent of adult son with autism
Ombudsman Paul Dubé
is set to release that long-awaited report Wednesday at Queen’s
Park. Last year, the ombudsman’s 2014-2015 annual report revealed
the investigation had drawn more than 1,300 complaints, including
“urgent, disturbing cases where adults with severe special needs
were ending up in jail, homeless shelters and hospitals because no
care or services were available for them.”
More/source:
These Are The Hidden Costs Of Living With A Disability
Do you know how much
a manual wheelchair costs? Not the kind you buy from the Sears
catalogue when you break your leg and need someone to push you around
for six weeks. I'm talking about the kind that a paraplegic might
need, that offers the correct ergonomic support and fits the
lifestyle of the person who will rely on it for years.
Source/more:
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
College fights to get groping MD’s licence revoked
Following a Star
investigation into doctors still at work after sexually abusing their
patients, the provincial government established a task force in
December 2014 to study the issue and make recommendations. The
Ministry of Health has said the report is expected to be made public
soon.
Source/more:
Opioid overuse is creating ‘lost generation,’ expert says
Opioids overuse is
the “worst man-made epidemic in modern medical history,” a
leading expert on workers’ compensation told Canadian physicians
Wednesday, urging them to take tough and immediate action to address
the problem.
Source/more:
The terrible cost of waste in health care
......Deciding who
will live, or have a chance at life, and who will die, is one of the
crueler ways Ontario governments have long controlled the costs of
health care.
Another is long
waiting lists for treatment......
...Premier Kathleen
Wynne’s government for wasting billions of public dollars on, for
example, unreliable and expensive wind and solar power, for cancelled
gas plants and, most outrageously, for spending scandals in the
health ministry such as eHealth and Ornge.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Patients with moderate to severe TBI twice as likely to die from an unintentional injury
Research examining
adults with moderate to severe TBI who participated in rehabilitation
showed that they were twice as likely to die from an unintentional
injury that occurred following their TBI. This was in comparison to
individuals in rehabilitation of similar age, sex, and race but
without TBI. People who have had a moderate to severe TBI may
experience changes in cognition and balance, which may put them at
greater risk of subsequent unintentional injuries.
Source/more:
Higher driver fees in Ontario
Drivers in Ontario
should get ready to fork out a few more dollars to the provincial
government to own a car or driver’s licence, because fees are going
up.
Source/more:
Everyday Legal Problems and the cost of Justice in Canada
......Nearly
one-third (30%) of the respondents reported their problems had not
been resolved and
were ongoing. The majority (55%), however, reported that
their problems had
been resolved within the three-year reference period of the
study. The remaining
15% of respondents reported mixed results with one
problem resolved and
one problem ongoing.
Many people felt
that the outcome they received was unfair. Among those
with problems that
had been resolved, 46% said the outcome for one (or both)
of their problems
was unfair. Further, 70% said that the outcome they
obtained did not
achieve all of what they had originally expected. Among
people with problems
that were ongoing, 16% said the problem had become
worse. Finally,
among self-helpers who said the problem had been resolved,
42% said that, in
retrospect, they felt the outcome would have been better if
they had obtained
some assistance.
These results
support other findings that indicate that some Canadians,
particularly those
with fewer resources and those who see themselves more
on the margins of
society, do not view the justice system as fair, accessible or
reflective of them
or their needs......
How people suffering from Invisible Disability are subject to wrong judgment and discrimination
When people hear the
word ‘disability’, they typically create the image of a person in
a wheelchair in their mind. However, what many people are unaware of
is the fact that disability doesn’t have to visible. There are
millions of disabled people around the world who show no signs of
disability on the outside, because their disability is usually linked
to their internal body system. This makes it very difficult for
people with invisible disabilities to explain their situation to
others and why they are entitle d to use disabled facilities as much
as the visibly disabled.
Source/more:
Legal woes taking toll, report says
Everyday legal
problems — from getting divorced, to fighting eviction notices,
to disputing cell phone bills — cost Canadians about $7.7
billion a year.
Source/more:
Court Finds It is an Abuse of Process For ICBC to File Inconsistent Pleadings From Single Collision
In today’s case
(Glover v. Leakey) the Defendant was involved in a crash and injured
two passengers. One sued and fault was admitted and ultimately
settlement reached. The second sued but fault was denied. In the
midst of a jury trial the Plaintiff discovered the inconsistent
pleadings and asked for a finding of liability.
Source/more:
Constitutional Challenge Launched Against Flawed Ontario Liberal Government Automobile Insurance Legislation- Discriminatory and Unconstitutional
Joseph Campisi,
lawyer and advocate, is launching a constitutional challenge in the
Ontario Superior Courts. Mr. Campisi is seeking a declaration from the
courts that parts of the legislation that were recently passed by the
Liberal Government are discriminatory and unconstitutional and should be
inoperative.
"The
right to access the Superior Courts is a fundamental right for
Canadians. I am concerned that the recently proclaimed legislation will
deny this right to individuals who have been severely disabled." said
applicant and noted Personal Injury Lawyer Joseph Campisi.
"Historically, the deck has been stacked against collision victims.
The recent amendments to the legislation have turned a bad situation
into a worse one for these vulnerable individuals. No longer will these
individuals be allowed to have the assurance of impartiality and
independence that is a cornerstone of our justice system when litigating
a claim against their own insurance company. I could not stand idly by
and let this happen."...........
Sources/more:
ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE UPDATE
ACCESSIBILITY FOR
ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE UPDATE
Below are the email
addresses and Twitter handles for all Ontario MPPs as of February 28,
2016, broken down by their political party, and then listed in
alphabetical order for each party.
Source/more:
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Ontario needs a new government
Ontarians need relief from a government that has doubled the provincial
debt and is well on its way to pushing it up to a staggering $350
billion, making it the most indebted sub-sovereign borrower in the
world.........
Source/more: http://www.torontosun.com/2016/09/10/ontario-needs-a-new-government
Source/more: http://www.torontosun.com/2016/09/10/ontario-needs-a-new-government
Let’s break the cycle of endless studies and consultations
Premier Kathleen
Wynne’s government has started yet another cycle of consultation on
poverty reduction. Since 2008, social justice advocates have
participated in a series of policy consultations regarding social
assistance reform, only to be disappointed every time by government
inaction. Almost a decade of empty discussions about “poverty
reduction” has shown that consultation is a diversionary tactic to
avoid tackling poverty.
Source/more:
Ontario patients deserve better protection: Editorial
There’s a
conspicuous and troubling gap in the Liberal government’s plan to
protect Ontario patients from sexual abuse by doctors. Missing is the
core recommendation of a task force on this issue calling for
creation of a special Ontario Safety and Patient Protection
Authority.
Source/more:
Bill reeks of IBC influence
Hudak is now leaving
politics and has never shown any interest or knowledge in the topic
of auto accident victims or pi lawyers before - so why now that he is
leaving? If he is pushing through the Protection for Motor Vehicle
Accidents Bill to get the government to scrutinize personal injury
lawyers, it is highly likely that the Insurance Bureau of Canada
(IBC) is behind it.
Source:
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
I Won’t Apologize for Having Fun While Chronically Ill
When I was six, I
was hospitalized with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. At the hospital,
I was encouraged to get out of bed, get dressed and spend as much
time as possible in the playroom. I brought magazines and books back
to my room to read and played with other kids who were up and about
on the pediatric floor. There was a girl in the next room with
leukemia, and we made faces and waved to each other through our
shared window. The fact that I was able to play didn’t mean I
wasn’t sick enough to be hospitalized. It meant that regardless of
my illness, I was a child with the same needs and wants as other
children.
Yet, with adults,
the same concept doesn’t seem to hold true. Whenever ill people do
— well, anything — it’s taken as “proof” that we’re
bluffing about our condition. Many of us are confronted by complete
strangers on a regular basis when we go out in public, on everything
from using parking placards to requesting ADA accommodation at
events. We’re challenged more by people we know, who should really
know better.
After I became ill,
I decided to go to my favorite theme park one day. I didn’t do
much; it was a very sedentary experience. I posted a photo of myself
on one of the rides on Facebook with my germ mask on backward, slept
for days to recover from my adventure, and didn’t think much of it.
A few days later, my Mom called me about it. A “family friend”
had seen the photo and was furious about it. She’d apparently
complained to several people that if I was at a theme park, I was
obviously well enough to be working and was pulling some sort of
scam. It had gotten back to my mother.
I promptly
unfriended and blocked the person, but their actions stayed with me.
For most of the next year or so, whenever I posted a photo of myself
doing anything fun, I looked over my shoulder. I always made a point
of describing how sick I was and how I’d needed to rest, and how
tired I was afterward. I felt the need to qualify what I was doing;
to verify that I was still ill, and to remind everyone that there was
more to the truth than what was visible in the photo. Someone’s
ignorance and unkind judgments had made me feel guilty about enjoying
my life to the best of my ability and upset my mom, and that was
unconscionable.
It often seems that
there’s no real way for chronically ill people to win this battle.
Hostile individuals who don’t want to believe that you’re really
ill will find fault with anything you do. There’s no way to appease
them, regardless of how you live your life.
Some chronically ill
people are able to exercise, some are not. Some of us are encouraged
to be physically active in some way to help us maintain function (I
have a series of physical therapy exercises to do every day to help
with some specific orthopedic issues, for instance). Yet, if you’re
seen being physically active in any way, it’s taken as a sign that
you’re not sick after all. Society likes to applaud those Olympic
athletes who fight through their illness or disability to compete. If
you fight through your illness or disability to do something physical
sometimes, such as a 5K or dance performance, it may be seen as proof
that you’re a fraud.
It’s widely
accepted that having a strong, supportive network of friends and
family is helpful to those who have chronic illness. We’re told
that for our own well-being, we should get out of the house once in a
while. However, if we dare to go out in public with friends or do
something fun occasionally, again, some will believe we’re not
sick. And if we spend one afternoon at the movies now and again, it
somehow equates to being able to spend 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a
year, at work.
If you live alone or
don’t have a lot of support, you still have to take care of daily
tasks, but something as simple as buying your own groceries might
actually be seen as proof you’re able-bodied.
If you are too
exhausted or hurting too much to shower, do your hair or dress up
you’ve let yourself go; if you go out with makeup and styled hair,
well, you’re obviously not sick because you don’t look sick.
If you post photos
on social media where you’re looking well people will think you’re
not ill; if you post photos of yourself undergoing treatment, you’ll
be accused of being an attention seeker.
If you tell someone
about the progressive course of your illness, you’re faking it
because your Aunt Edna’s son’s niece had the same condition and
she’s fine now.
Social media photos
and observations of chronically ill people smiling and looking
“normal” or doing errands have even been used to deny or remove
disability benefits, which is quite possibly the most troubling thing
of all. It’s hard to understand that disability determination
specialists, doctors and government benefits administrators —
people who supposedly are knowledgeable about a wide range of health
conditions — don’t accept the concepts of good days, payback and
invisible illnesses that do not always have linear trajectories.
Nobody ever seems to
consider what’s happening outside and around that Facebook photo
they’re snarking about. The fact that it might have been the first
time in weeks that chronically ill patient got to do something really
fun eludes them. They don’t realize how much those activities cost
in terms of pain, fatigue and reduced function. They look at one
photo or one Facebook status about one day and think they’re an
expert on your life.
I’m not sure what
these people think we’re supposed to do every day. We have
incurable chronic illnesses. We often spend most of our time either
at home or in treatment as it is. We’re often exhausted and in a
lot of pain. If we’re not able to work full time, are we supposed
to forgo any and all moments of joy, distraction, social interaction
or enjoyment? Will that help us in any way? Being sick is extremely
hard for many of us. It’s even harder when hurtful, judgmental
types decide that illness should invalidate the fact that we have the
same needs as anyone else. Instead of telling chronically ill
individuals to shake off comments and accusations, maybe the onus
should be on these hecklers to refrain from making them and mind
their business. Is it really that hard to leave other people alone?
Eleanor Roosevelt
once said: “Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for
you’ll be criticized anyway.” I’ve taken those words to heart
when it comes to interacting with others about my chronic illness. I
am no longer particularly nice when I’m confronted by impromptu
judges. Every once in a while someone honestly doesn’t understand,
and politely and succinctly explaining a few things helps them. More
often, though, they’ve already come to their own conclusions and
nothing I say is going to put a dent in their hostility. I won’t
waste my time trying to justify myself to random strangers and
mean-spirited acquaintances who have appointed themselves judge and
jury of my life.
I can’t stop
others from thinking whatever they want about me. However, I can and
do refuse to comply when someone demands apologies, guilt or
justifications from me for getting out of the house once in a while.
Anyone who decides that chronic illness somehow invalidates my needs
as a person — including my needs for happiness and socialization —
isn’t getting an iota of my concern.
Louise’s Story
It was a warm spring day in April when Louise celebrated her 79th
birthday at home, surrounded by her four children, their spouses, and
nine grandchildren. She raised her children there in the home she shared
with her husband for 48 years, until his death. It was there that
Louise brought everyone together to entertain, to share food and wine
and companionship. The home, like Louise, was at the center of her
family and it was there with her family that she was happiest. And on
that day they all shared joy and love, and celebrated a life well lived.
Six weeks later Louise was gone.
For Monica, Louise’s eldest child, the pain is still fresh. When she talks about her mother you can hear the combination of love and loss in her voice. She never gave up hope that her mother would beat the cancer that eventually took her – after all Louise beat cancer twice before. Despite the loss Monica is still grateful that her mother’s last days were at home, surrounded by loved ones. She credits this to Louise’s use of medical cannabis.
“She wasn’t on it for that long,” says Monica, “but the time she was on it did wonders.”.........
Source/more: https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/louises-story?utm_source=customerservice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2-9-16_Louise
For Monica, Louise’s eldest child, the pain is still fresh. When she talks about her mother you can hear the combination of love and loss in her voice. She never gave up hope that her mother would beat the cancer that eventually took her – after all Louise beat cancer twice before. Despite the loss Monica is still grateful that her mother’s last days were at home, surrounded by loved ones. She credits this to Louise’s use of medical cannabis.
“She wasn’t on it for that long,” says Monica, “but the time she was on it did wonders.”.........
Source/more: https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/louises-story?utm_source=customerservice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2-9-16_Louise
Bill to establish welfare rates based on cost of living introduced
“Over nine hundred
thousand people in this province rely on Ontario Works or ODSP, but
more than half of these families do not have enough to eat,” Miller
said. “Children are going to school hungry. It has become
impossible for the poorest people in this province to make ends
meet.”
Sourc/more:
Kelly & Theresa – Overcoming the Street Drug Stigma
For many people medical cannabis isn’t the first thing that they
consider as treatment, in fact it’s usually one of the last alternatives
to conventional medicine. The stigma attached to cannabis as street
drug is changing, but slowly. Sometimes it is the people who care the
most about us that are the ones that might resist using medical cannabis
as a treatment option, because they aren’t aware of the medical
properties of this remarkable plant. They resist because they care. Such
is the story of Kelly and Theresa.
When Kelly Oliphant discovered he had prostate cancer in September of 2012 he knew it was going to change his life, but he didn’t know how much. In the previous year his wife Theresa had gone through her second bout of cancer, so he had some idea of what to expect. What he didn’t expect, or plan for, was constant debilitating pain.
In December of the same year Kelly had his cancerous prostate removed, and shortly thereafter began a series of radiation treatments. About a third of the way through the 33 treatments Kelly began to experience discomfort that quickly grew to constant, extreme pain. The overly aggressive treatments had essentially destroyed the nerve endings in a belt stretching from hip to hip across Kelly’s stomach.
“It’s like having a sunburn on the inside, and it probably won’t ever go away.” Kelly says. “The only time it doesn’t hurt is when I’m lying down.”..........
Source/more: https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/kelly-theresa/?utm_source=customerservice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=21-6-16_Kelly-Theresa
When Kelly Oliphant discovered he had prostate cancer in September of 2012 he knew it was going to change his life, but he didn’t know how much. In the previous year his wife Theresa had gone through her second bout of cancer, so he had some idea of what to expect. What he didn’t expect, or plan for, was constant debilitating pain.
In December of the same year Kelly had his cancerous prostate removed, and shortly thereafter began a series of radiation treatments. About a third of the way through the 33 treatments Kelly began to experience discomfort that quickly grew to constant, extreme pain. The overly aggressive treatments had essentially destroyed the nerve endings in a belt stretching from hip to hip across Kelly’s stomach.
“It’s like having a sunburn on the inside, and it probably won’t ever go away.” Kelly says. “The only time it doesn’t hurt is when I’m lying down.”..........
Source/more: https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/kelly-theresa/?utm_source=customerservice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=21-6-16_Kelly-Theresa
Backlog of applications for veterans benefits still greater than 11,500
Veterans Affairs
benefits logjam 'makes my argument' for reform, says military
ombudsman
"I think it's
patently cruel to force veterans to have to prove over and over again
to Veterans Affairs medical doctors something they have proven to
Canadian Forces medical doctors," he said.
Source/more:
Christina’s Story – Breaking Free from the Cycle of Pain
Pain. It can break the strongest of us. Sometimes it is sudden and
sharp, cracking like thunder, sending bolts of electric agony through
us. Other times it might roll in like a fog, slowly enveloping and
separating us from the world until it is our new normal. Pain can suck
the joy out of life, if you let it. Christina Evans knows all-too-well
about pain, but she chose to do something about it and changed her life
for the better.
Christina’s story begins in 2006 when she started to experience neck pain on a regular basis. Usually the discomfort would last about a week, and then life would return to normal. Over the course of the next three years it began happening more often, and soon things began to get worse. Her limbs alternated between numbness and pain, she endured two pregnancies made difficult by her mysterious condition, and was forced to wear wrist braces just to do simple tasks. Then one day she woke to find the entire left side of her body numb, and what wasn’t numb was radiating with intense pain. An emergency MRI was ordered and Christina finally discovered the cause of all her pain: syringomyelia.
Syringomyelia is a very rare disease in which a cyst forms within your spinal cord. As the cyst grows over time it compresses and damages the spinal cord, causing pain, weakness, numbness, migraines, bowel control issues, difficultly with speaking and swallowing, paralysis and more. Some cases of syringomyelia are treatable, usually with surgery, but not Christina’s.
Without a cure, with the cyst growing and her pain increasing, Christina struggled to live a normal life. She couldn’t work, could barely parent and was considering going on disability. She lived in constant pain and a drug-induced haze........
Source/more: https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/117520965-christina-s-story-breaking-free-from-the-cycle-of-pain
Christina’s story begins in 2006 when she started to experience neck pain on a regular basis. Usually the discomfort would last about a week, and then life would return to normal. Over the course of the next three years it began happening more often, and soon things began to get worse. Her limbs alternated between numbness and pain, she endured two pregnancies made difficult by her mysterious condition, and was forced to wear wrist braces just to do simple tasks. Then one day she woke to find the entire left side of her body numb, and what wasn’t numb was radiating with intense pain. An emergency MRI was ordered and Christina finally discovered the cause of all her pain: syringomyelia.
Syringomyelia is a very rare disease in which a cyst forms within your spinal cord. As the cyst grows over time it compresses and damages the spinal cord, causing pain, weakness, numbness, migraines, bowel control issues, difficultly with speaking and swallowing, paralysis and more. Some cases of syringomyelia are treatable, usually with surgery, but not Christina’s.
Without a cure, with the cyst growing and her pain increasing, Christina struggled to live a normal life. She couldn’t work, could barely parent and was considering going on disability. She lived in constant pain and a drug-induced haze........
Source/more: https://www.cannimed.ca/blogs/blog/117520965-christina-s-story-breaking-free-from-the-cycle-of-pain
Families feel betrayed by insurance companies after flood
Like hundreds of
other households trying to pick up the pieces after Thrusday’s
flood, Furlan felt his insurance company was leaving him high and
dry.
“They told me I
get $5,000,” he explained, calling it a rip off. “That isn’t
going to cover anything. It was $10,000 before and now, suddenly,
they say Tecumseh gets too many floods.”
Source/more:
Monday, December 19, 2016
Five more sexual assault charges laid against Hamilton doctor
Police have laid
five additional charges of sexual assault against a Hamilton doctor.
Dr. Pierre Picard,
48, now faces a total of seven sexual assault charges after more
victims have come forward.
In August, a woman
reported to police that she was sexually assaulted by her doctor in
June. During the investigation, a second woman came forward and said
she was assaulted by the same doctor in July.
On November 30,
Picard was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault.
After a media
release about Picard’s arrest was sent out on December 1, three
more victims came forward and reported being sexually assaulted by
Picard between 2015 and 2016.
Picard was arrested
on December 14 and charged with five more counts of sexual assault.
He has been released on a promise to appear in court.
Hamilton police
believe there may be more victims that had contact with Picard and
are asking anyone with further information to contact Detective Doug
Jonovich of the Sexual Assault Unit at (905) 540-4614.
Marijuana Is An Old Remedy That Gives New Relief
....
As marijuana marches towards legalization in Canada, researchers are digging ever deeper into its potential therapeutic benefits. For people suffering from epilepsy it could mean reaching back to the wisdom of the ancients to deliver a modern form of relief.
For thousands of years, cannabis has been known to have anticonvulsant properties. It was used in both ancient China and India, and then much later during Victorian times in Europe.
In the 20th Century, researchers started to narrow down the source of the benefits, extracting a chemical from marijuana called cannabidiol (CBD), which unlike THC will not make you high, but which has shown promise in reducing seizures....
Source:/more: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sean-mallen/medical-marijuana_b_13656686.html
As marijuana marches towards legalization in Canada, researchers are digging ever deeper into its potential therapeutic benefits. For people suffering from epilepsy it could mean reaching back to the wisdom of the ancients to deliver a modern form of relief.
For thousands of years, cannabis has been known to have anticonvulsant properties. It was used in both ancient China and India, and then much later during Victorian times in Europe.
In the 20th Century, researchers started to narrow down the source of the benefits, extracting a chemical from marijuana called cannabidiol (CBD), which unlike THC will not make you high, but which has shown promise in reducing seizures....
Source:/more: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sean-mallen/medical-marijuana_b_13656686.html
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Experts should not bow to pressure of 'deep pockets'
A recent Ontario
Superior Court of Justice decision that highlighted questions around
bias of medical experts illustrates the duty of experts to serve the
court rather than plaintiffs or insurance companies, says Toronto
personal injury lawyer Simmy Yu.
Sourc/more:
Pierre Poilievre spoke about Poverty in the House
Here's what Pierre Poilievre had to say in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, what will the new carbon tax do to the gap between rich and
poor? From whom will the money come, and to whom will it go?
The carbon tax will apply to heat, gas, and groceries. Poor households spend
a third more of their income on those items than do rich households, so the
tax will make those with the least pay proportionally the most.
To whom will it go? The Prime Minister said it will fund provincial green
energy programs. In Ontario, millionaire green energy insiders overcharged
hydro customers by $37 billion, forcing many to the food bank. Never has a
program taken from so many to give so much to so few.
Elsewhere, the CBC reported, “The Ontario government gave taxpayer-funded
rebates to five millionaires to buy one of the most expensive cars ever
manufactured, the Porsche 918 Spyder.” No surprise. Big government always
benefits the well-lawyered, the well-lobbied for, and the well-off.
The best way to fight poverty is for the government to stop fighting the
poor.
Source: October 7th, 11:10 a.m. Poverty
http://openparliament.ca/
poor? From whom will the money come, and to whom will it go?
The carbon tax will apply to heat, gas, and groceries. Poor households spend
a third more of their income on those items than do rich households, so the
tax will make those with the least pay proportionally the most.
To whom will it go? The Prime Minister said it will fund provincial green
energy programs. In Ontario, millionaire green energy insiders overcharged
hydro customers by $37 billion, forcing many to the food bank. Never has a
program taken from so many to give so much to so few.
Elsewhere, the CBC reported, “The Ontario government gave taxpayer-funded
rebates to five millionaires to buy one of the most expensive cars ever
manufactured, the Porsche 918 Spyder.” No surprise. Big government always
benefits the well-lawyered, the well-lobbied for, and the well-off.
The best way to fight poverty is for the government to stop fighting the
poor.
Source: October 7th, 11:10 a.m. Poverty
http://openparliament.ca/
Ontario auto insurance rates rising despite Liberal promise
TORONTO - Auto
insurance rates are rising in Ontario, moving the Liberal government
even further away from a self-imposed target of an average 15%
reduction.
Source/more:
This is deplorable. The Liberal government continues to allow insurance companies to exploit Ontario drivers
This is deplorable. The Liberal government continues to allow insurance companies to exploit Ontario drivers. #OnPoli pic.twitter.com/34metQFzux— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) October 19, 2016
Jagmeet Singh (NDP) has put this page up http://www.fairratesontario
The reality is that the Ontario Liberal government has the power and the ability to reduce auto insurance rates across the board, and promised to reduce
rates for drivers over two years ago. I refuse to let them back down on their promise.
I'll keep you informed on our progress and future initiatives in this battle, and feel free to reach out and share your story or concerns.
Thank's for the support!
Until next time,
Jagmeet.
Source/more:
Thursday, December 15, 2016
This is a Xmas Wish that We hope everyone will RETWEET
Being delayed the
help you need..is a crime!
Wish list 4 Santa.#MVA #survivors Suffer financially everyday waiting for insurance approvals. We are here 4 U.
Sources: https://t.co/j86f6glLeW
Wish list 4 Santa.
Sources: https://t.co/j86f6glLeW
Report finds ‘significant’ gaps in Ontario healthcare
Like nearly two thirds of Ontarians, the 27-year-old doesn’t
have public health insurance for prescription medication and so is
paying out-of-pocket. As a mental health advocate, she says it is not
uncommon for those with complex health issues to be spending hundreds
of dollars a month on their prescriptions, or for them to go off meds
they can’t afford.
Source/more: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/10/13/report-finds-significant-gaps-in-ontario-healthcare.html
Source/more: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/10/13/report-finds-significant-gaps-in-ontario-healthcare.html
Access denied: legit disability claims lost in shuffle
People with
legitimate disabilities are being denied long-term benefits because
the system of filing and internally appealing insurance claims is
convoluted and complex, says Toronto personal injury and medical
malpractice lawyer Paul Cahill.
Source/more:
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
So we ask - why is the Ontario government gifting auto insurers with our healthcare dollars?
For 11 years the
Ontario government has known that the taxpayers are paying too much
for the healthcare of MVA victims post accident. The Auditor General
has told them so in more than one report. The Minister of Finance
recently put out the HSPRN report that acknowledges that the actual
cost to OHIP was $383 million in 2013/14. This is a shortfall of $241
million in just one year. The loss to the taxpayer, who is paying
while insurers aren't, is well over $1 billion in just the last 5
years alone.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the question is no longer, “What’s wrong with ICBC?”
The question is, “Is there anything right?”
I wrote two previous columns on ICBC’s financial woes — one on a seniors discount that costs an estimated $100 million annually, another on the climbing cost of litigation. Those were but two contributors to the corporation’s financial woes. There are many strands that one can pull to explain ICBC’s unravelling.
Readers responded. Some, no surprise, were civilians complaining about what they felt was ICBC’s unfair tactics. But several were from insiders to the process — lawyers, doctors and claim adjusters. They identified a problem affecting ICBC’s bottom line the public never hears about.
It was the high cost of medical reports.
Wrote one senior ICBC injury adjuster, whose job is to settle lawyer-represented claims:
“Lawyers routinely hire experts (doctors) to produce reports to support how badly injured the individual is/was from the accident. It is quite common to have two to five different experts report on a single file. These experts charge between $4,000-$6,000 to examine the patient and write a report. ICBC will have to hire their own experts, typically one to two per file for the same costs as above.
“We often settle a claim, for example, between $50,000 to $100,000 and then pay on top of that between $30,000 and $40,000 for costs and disbursements. So not only are the lawyers making tidy sums, but the medical experts make a fair chunk off the litigation process as well.”.....
........There is a large number of medical professionals in B.C. that are making well in excess of $1 million per year from writing medical reports now.......
Source/more: http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/pete-mcmartin-medical-reports-make-up-major-chunk-of-icbc-expenditure-insiders-reveal?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1481157840
I wrote two previous columns on ICBC’s financial woes — one on a seniors discount that costs an estimated $100 million annually, another on the climbing cost of litigation. Those were but two contributors to the corporation’s financial woes. There are many strands that one can pull to explain ICBC’s unravelling.
Readers responded. Some, no surprise, were civilians complaining about what they felt was ICBC’s unfair tactics. But several were from insiders to the process — lawyers, doctors and claim adjusters. They identified a problem affecting ICBC’s bottom line the public never hears about.
It was the high cost of medical reports.
Wrote one senior ICBC injury adjuster, whose job is to settle lawyer-represented claims:
“Lawyers routinely hire experts (doctors) to produce reports to support how badly injured the individual is/was from the accident. It is quite common to have two to five different experts report on a single file. These experts charge between $4,000-$6,000 to examine the patient and write a report. ICBC will have to hire their own experts, typically one to two per file for the same costs as above.
“We often settle a claim, for example, between $50,000 to $100,000 and then pay on top of that between $30,000 and $40,000 for costs and disbursements. So not only are the lawyers making tidy sums, but the medical experts make a fair chunk off the litigation process as well.”.....
........There is a large number of medical professionals in B.C. that are making well in excess of $1 million per year from writing medical reports now.......
Source/more: http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/pete-mcmartin-medical-reports-make-up-major-chunk-of-icbc-expenditure-insiders-reveal?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1481157840
Assessors Medical opinion evidence, libel and public interest case
The latest stories in the media:
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/12/08/md-who-wrote-misleading-insurance-report-under-investigation.htmlhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/ontario-doctor-misrepresented-views-on-catastrophic-injuries-to-benefit-insurer-judge-rules
The original media story: http://www.insurancebusiness.ca/ca/news/auto/medical-files-routinely-altered-to-suit-insurers-claims-fair-186692.aspx?p=1
more info see: http://www.fairassociation.ca/the-independent-medical-examination-imeie/ and http://www.fairassociation.ca/ime-providers-adverse-comments/
Ontario Health-care System overburdened,underfunded,mismanaged
Ontario Doctors Like Me Won't Play Along With Patients First Act...
...This health-care system is so overburdened, underfunded and mismanaged that it no longer provides patients with reliable, timely or even universal access to care....Source/more: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/nadia-alam/ontarios-doctors-walk-awa_b_13521602.html
Regulation changes deny accident victim adequate benefits, family says
That injury
classification — the criteria for which changed the same day of
Adam Bari's accident — means he is eligible for only a fraction of
the compensation they feel will be needed to finance his recovery.
Source/more:
If He Crashed 12
Hours Earlier, He Wouldn't Face Bankruptcy
They say timing is
everything. That seems to be distinctly, horribly true in the case of
Adam Bari. The 34-year-old Canadian man was riding his motorcycle
June 1 when he was T-boned by a car, CBC reports. Bari's family is
now facing the possibility of bankruptcy, but that wouldn't be if the
crash had happened just 12 hours earlier.
Doctors worry about patient privacy as they speculate on government plans for eHealth
The province’s
doctors are expressing “grave concerns” about the Liberal
government’s plans for eHealth Ontario.
In the wake of
Health Minister Eric Hoskins’ decision to ask Premier Kathleen
Wynne’s privatization guru, Ed Clark, to appraise the monetary
value of the electronic health records agency, the Ontario Medical
Association is sounding the alarm over patient privacy.
Source/more:
Doctors worry about
patient privacy as they speculate on government plans for eHealth
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/10/13/doctors-worry-about-patient-privacy-as-they-speculate-on-government-plans-for-ehealth.html
CEO of nurses' association denounces LHSC for sending letter about public meeting it's hosting Friday
“(This) is a
blatant attempt to intimidate (the Registered Nurses’ Association
of Ontario) into staying silent on matters of interest to our members
and the public. We recognize it as a bullying tactic and we will not
be influenced by it in any way, shape or form,” Doris Grinspun,
chief executive of the nurses’ association, wrote Thursday to
Murray Glendining, chief executive of London Health Sciences Centre,
and hospital board chair Tom Gergely. The Free Press obtained the
letter.
Source/more:
Dear Doctors, Here's Why It's Unhelpful When You Call My Pain 'Discomfort'
You know how doctors
always use the word “discomfort” to describe our pain? Instead of
recognizing that we are in agony, instead of calling our pain what it
is… pain… they often downplay the language they use to describe
the severity of what we are feeling.
Source/more:
Most Ontarians say justice system ‘broken’: survey
The Action Group on
Access to Justice (TAG) asked Ontarians to describe the centuries-old
system in a recent survey. In a poll of 1,500 adults by Abacus Data
Inc. in August, the verdict the advocacy body received was damning:
78 per cent called Ontario’s justice system “old-fashioned,” 71
per cent said it was “intimidating.” “Confusing,”
“inefficient” and “broken” was how more than 60 per cent of
respondents described it.
Source/more:
Chronic Pain Can Cause Long-Lasting Damage To Your Brain
Chronic pain can
damage and change your brain. If you live with chronic pain, you will
know how devastating and wide-ranging the effects can be on your
mental processing speed, your mood, and your memory.
Source/more:
Broker Negligence Claims: Are You Adequately Covered?
Is your insurance
broker adequately inquiring about your insurance needs? With the
substantial decline of available medical, rehabilitation and
attendant care benefits from $2 million to $1 million for
catastrophically injured individuals, this is a question that will be
asked more often in the realm of motor vehicle insurance. The recent
cutbacks to the accident benefits regime in Ontario are expected to
have profound effects on those seriously injured in accidents.
Source/more:
Signs and Symptoms of Myofascial Pain
The condition of
myofascial pain syndrome is considered a chronic pain disorder. In
this condition, pressure on trigger - or sensitive - points on your
body result in pain in areas of your body that seem to be unrelated.
This is known as referred pain.
Source/more:
Ombudsman asked to probe WSIB treatment of mentally ill
Mentally ill workers
are being systematically denied benefits because of discriminatory
and unconstitutional practices at the province’s Workplace Safety
and Insurance Board, according to a new complaint sent to Ontario’s
government watchdog.
Source/more:
Headaches After Traumatic Brain Injury
Headache is one of
the most common symptoms after traumatic brain injury (often called
post-traumatic headache). Over 30% of people report having headaches
which continue long after injury.
Source/more:
Canadian Food Bank Use Is On the Rise: Report
OTTAWA — More
Canadians are relying on food banks to feed themselves, a report
released Tuesday suggests.
The report by Food
Banks Canada says last March some 863,492 people turned to a food
bank, a 1.3 per cent increase over March 2015 and a 28 per cent rise
over 2008.
Source/more:
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Insurers must provide a Reason if they request an Examination Under Oath
In Aviva Insurance
Company of Canada v. Frank McKeown (2016), Aviva brought an
application to determine whether an insurer is obligated to state
their reason for an examination under oath (EUO) in order to compel a
person claiming statutory accident benefits (SABS) to attend an EUO,
if requested by their insurer, pursuant to subsection 33 (2) of the
SABS. Aviva was seeking a legal order to compel the named respondents
to attend their respective EUOs.
Source/more:
Insurance company offers girl $8 for mileage to hospital instead of $50K for eye injury
One
of Canada's largest insurance companies has done an about face and
offered payment to the mother of a girl who lost eyesight after a
serious soccer accident.
Nancy Desrosiers was featured in a CBC Go Public story yesterday,
after Industrial Alliance insurance refused to honour an accident
insurance policy that would have awarded a $50,000 payout.
Source/more:
Lawyer says accident insurance almost ‘never pays’
By Erica Johnson, CBC News
Posted: Nov 07, 2016 2:00 AM PT
Last Updated: Nov 07, 2016 1:09 PM PT
Insurance industry uses Trump tactics to pump up fraud
If juries have become cynical it is because the insurance industry
spends inordinate amounts of money, and uses Trump tactics, to launch
ad campaigns to tell the public about so-called rampant insurance
fraud.
The public has come to believe that nearly everyone is fraudulent without hearing the perspective of accident victims
Most injured parties have to take on their insurer via a legal battle to receive the income replacement and rehab benefits they require and are obliged to sign "privacy" or confidentiality agreements so they can't divulge the settlement or how they were treated at mediation or in an examination for discovery.
Source/more: http://deniedbenefitclaims.com/blog.html
The public has come to believe that nearly everyone is fraudulent without hearing the perspective of accident victims
Most injured parties have to take on their insurer via a legal battle to receive the income replacement and rehab benefits they require and are obliged to sign "privacy" or confidentiality agreements so they can't divulge the settlement or how they were treated at mediation or in an examination for discovery.
Source/more: http://deniedbenefitclaims.com/blog.html
Justice system verges on crisis as judicial shortages cause delays: TLA
The Toronto Lawyers Association (TLA) says a crisis in the justice
system is looming because of an "unprecedented" number of
judicial shortages and is urging Federal Minister of Justice Jody
Wilson-Raybould to take “immediate action."
Source/more:
http://www.advocatedaily.com/none-justice-system-verges-on-crisis-as-judicial-shortages-cause-delays-tla.html
Source/more:
http://www.advocatedaily.com/none-justice-system-verges-on-crisis-as-judicial-shortages-cause-delays-tla.html
Drug company billionaire pulls out of Liberal cash-for-access fundraiser
The billionaire chairman of pharmaceutical giant Apotex has pulled out of an elite “cash for access” fundraiser at which Finance Minister Bill Morneau is the star attraction – two days after the Liberal Party sent a letter to cabinet announcing it plans to ban business executives or others from attending fundraisers if they are lobbying the government.
Source/more:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/chairman-of-canadian-drug-maker-apotex-pulls-out-of-cash-for-access-fundraiser/article32694874/?cmpid=PM1116
Monday, December 12, 2016
Scrutiny of opioid prescriptions bad news for patients in pain, doctor warns
Dr. Ellen Thompson says a rising number of misconduct
investigations by the College of Physician and Surgeons of Ontario
into doctors who may be over-prescribing opioid medications such as
morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl will discourage doctors from
prescribing the painkillers even in cases where they are beneficial.
Source/more:
http://ottawacitizen.com/storyline/scrutiny-of-opioid-prescriptions-bad-news-for-patients-in-pain-doctor-warns
Source/more:
http://ottawacitizen.com/storyline/scrutiny-of-opioid-prescriptions-bad-news-for-patients-in-pain-doctor-warns
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