• FAIR – supporting auto accident victims through advocacy and education
  • FAIR – supporting auto accident victims through advocacy and education
  • FAIR – supporting auto accident victims through advocacy and education

News and Views

570 News – Fraud Month

by Admin2

Great comments!

570 News March 5 2014 

Steven Del Duca, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, Re: Ontario’s governing Liberals have introduced legislation that they say will help reduce auto insurance rates, even though they’re not mandating a cut to premiums. Finance Minister Charles Sousa says rates have dropped 5% on average across Ontario and will fall further to the 15% target if the bill passes. He says the legislation will combat fraud, make it easier to settle disputes and curb costs. Critics point out Ontario made regulatory changes in 2010 that greatly reduced costs for the insurance industry, but those savings have not been passed along to drivers.
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570 News Tuesday Mar. 4, 2014

Rick Dubin, Vice President of Investigations at Insurance Bureau of Canada, Re: March is Fraud Prevention Month and the IBC is taking aim at a number of issues that hurt insurers and Canadians. Staged collisions.  Unscrupulous auto repair shops.  False medical claims. Fake auto theft.  Padding an otherwise legitimate claims. These are just some of the insurance scams that criminals commit.

FAIR response to the Dispute Resolution System Review – media release

by Admin2

The recently released Dispute Resolution System Review final report does not address the abuse of Ontario’s accident victims and our courts by assessors who intentionally minimize or deflate an injury so Ontario’s insurers can deny claims. Despite the DRS review being the forum most suited to impose criteria regarding medico-legal expert witnesses, and the place to set standards, the issue will remain a core problem affecting every accident victim.

Tighter scheduling and timelines, both welcome changes, will not make the system fairer if the quality of the evidence at hearings remains so low. Media release FAIR response to the Dispute Resolution System Review Feb 21 2014

A CAREGIVER WORKSHOP:

by Admin2

Getting Better and Better after Brain Injury A Practical Guide for Families and Caregivers

This conference is geared for CAREGIVERS of ABI Survivors, not to professionals working with ABI survivors. Families can choose to attend with their loved one, but the content of the day is geared towards caregivers.

For online registration visit website  at  www.abicollaborative.ca or http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=qkrld6lab&oeidk=a07e8u2rb878e18ee9d

Can the Ontario Government Suck AND Blow?

by Admin2
Proving an “economic loss” became a hot topic.  Some insurers wanted to only pay the amount of the loss, and others would pay the amount of attendant care benefit (as calculated by the OT), as long as a loss existed.  This issue was tried in court, and in Henry vs Gore (2013) the decision was that “the extent of the economic loss was irrelevant…as long as there was any economic loss during the period in question the person can qualify for the services they provided…”
Then, just last month this decision was overturned by the Ontario government, the SABS were amended, and now people providing care cannot receive more “than the extent of the economic loss sustained by the attendant…as a direct result of providing the care…”

So, I ask, can the government really suck and blow?  I guess so because there are so many elements of this that both defy logic and are clearly unfair. 

http://entwistlepower.com/2014/02/can-the-ontario-government-suck-and-blow.html

Cheaper Car Insurance: Price is the least of the problems

by Admin2

The article “Cheaper Car Insurance: Ontario drivers will wait two more years” highlights many of the current problems in Ontario’s auto insurance industry. High premiums, fraud, problems with payouts for injuries, claim costs, resolution back-logs, and benefit cuts returning $2B back to insurers are all mentioned. As a rehabilitation provider working in the auto insurance industry, I can confirm that the current product is fraught with problems. However, from the health provider and claimant perspective, affordability is the least of the industry’s problems. Rather, there is growing concern regarding insurer practices that are unfair and deceptive, negligent, involve failed fiduciary duties, and seem to violate the Canadian Charter. Issues with professionals as assessors, and provider contracts are also rampant. This paper will review Ontario’s insurance industry, aiming to highlight the many legal problems surrounding a controversial product that impacts all drivers.  Cheaper Car Insurance Price is the least of the problems by Julie Entwistle

One problem that requires fixing — the “Independent Medical Examination”

by Admin2

“There have been ongoing concerns regarding the quality and independence of medical examinations of injured claimants. So much so that the term “IME” no longer represents “Independent Medical Examination” but is now used to represent “Insurer Medical Examination”. The integrity of the system used to evaluate access to insurance benefits has lost the confidence of consumers.”….”The present Review of Ontario’s Dispute Resolution System is a consequence of this corrosion of confidence. It is important for the integrity of the IME system that a new method of evaluating claimants be considered.”

Becker Submission to DRS

What is a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury?

by Admin2
What is a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)? [Video]

Brain injuries are classified mild, moderate, or severe. The leading causes are vehicle-related collisions, falls, sports injuries, and assaults. Of these brain injuries, 70-90% are considered “mild”. It is important to realize, however, that there is nothing “mild” about a traumatic brain i… 

Frankly Scarlett, We Should Talk March 31 2014

by Admin2

Why the MIG Arbitration Should Concern Us

Alexander Voudouris and Eva Campbell will explain and discuss from their different perspectives, the decision on his appeal of Scarlett and Belair. Nadia Perruzza
will identify the pitfalls to avoid when documenting the needs of the seriously injured.

Frankly Scarlett, We Should Talk March 31 2014

FAIR Submission to the 2014 Pre-Budget Consultations

by Admin2

We’d ask if democracy and debate were on holiday in December 2013 when these drastic changes were passed – changes that will limit access to care that affects those who are the most injured. There is, or should we say was, case law that defined incurred expenses that insurers did not agree with but is that a reason to circumvent thoughtful discussion and debate in order to bolster Ontario’s insurance industry profits?

FAIR submission to 2014 Pre-Budget Consultations Jan 23 2014

Toronto Sun – Letters to the Editor, Jan. 21

by Admin2
Coverage, not abuse  

Re “Ensuring insurance is a fair deal” (Christina Blizzard, Jan. 15): It isn’t just about what we are paying for auto insurance, it’s what we get when we have to access benefits like treatment, rehab, income replacement, and attendant care if we need it. Why should consumers have to take an insurer to court to get what they need when they’ve paid for coverage? Along the way victims are subjected to invasive, sometimes useless medical examinations by their insurer. There is virtually no oversight of this process — the CPSO won’t tell the public any details about complaints regarding these assessors and yet the public is legislated to attend these examinations. Accident victims endure a lot more than a few “slings and arrows” — our legislators need to pay attention to this industry. Drivers pay for coverage, not abuse. Motor vehicle accident victims “feel something akin to understanding” alright — we feel ripped off and understand that our government is letting it happen.

Rhona DesRoches

FAIR Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform

(There are two kinds of fraud in the auto insurance industry — fraud by con artists who try to bilk the insurers and fraud by insurers who refuse to honour valid claims)

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/01/20/letters-to-the-editor-jan-21-2