Sunsaver, Livining Off-Grid In Suburbia- Happy Taconight America!

[sunsaver]

I guess i should have said easy compared to the computer interface circuits and other electronic devices i used to make. I used to love complicated stuff. The more high tech it was, the better. I used to draw mazes on paper for relaxation. Some were very large and intricate. But then i started to realize that the more complicated something is, the more likely it is to fail. These days i like rugged simplicity. The more elegant the design, the better i like it.
Well it's only 100*F today, so i feel much cooler than yesterday. I'm ready to start on my swamp cooler. The geothermal rig works great, but the current set up wastes too much water.

 

[sunsaver]

I think is was on 60 Minutes or Nightline. A whistle blower from a large insurance corporation showed the "game plan" document which had been created by an independent consulting firm "think tank". The best way to raise the share price was to increase profits. This was to be accomplished by a strict policy of never paying more than 50% of the policy value on any home or auto claim. Anyone who would sue for the difference, was to be kept in court for years or until they just gave up. I guess the idea was to intimidate lawyers from future litigation. They also interviewed a family who had been in court for several years, trying to get the money they needed to rebuild their home. It was a very sad news story and it made me angry to see how evil our beloved Name Brands can be once you get to the top floor. The whistle blower was a member of the board of directors of the company, who resigned when the new guidelines were put into place. He later met with "real" people in the "real" world who where suffering from the results of his actions, and he admitted to feeling remorse.

 

[Wifezilla]

"Insurance executives and their Wall Street investors are addicted to massive profits and double-digit annual rate increases. To squeeze more profit, Potter says, if a person makes a major claim for coverage, the insurer will often scrutinize the persons original application, looking for any error that would allow it to cancel the policy. Likewise, if a small companys employees make too many claims, the insurer, Potter says, very likely will jack up the rates so much that your employer has no alternative but to leave you and your co-workers without insurance."
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item...tle_blower_knows_where_the_bodies_are_buried/

"Anyone who has ever insured anything -- a car, a house, or, if you're J.Lo, a sumptuously rotund rump -- knows that insurance companies are about as trustworthy as automobile salesmen: You had better read the fine print lest the deal come back to kick you in the junk.

As an adjuster for North Miami Beach-based Argus Fire & Casualty Insurance Company, Susan Varela knew this better than anyone. But 32 years in the industry didn't keep her from getting burned by her former employer.

In a lawsuit filed last September, Varela claims that Argus fired her for blowing the whistle on the company's practice of inventing reasons to deny or delay legitimate insurance claims. She claims that none other than Argus CEO and part owner Richard Parrillo Jr. "ordered [her] to... delay in the payment of legitimate claims."

She even accuses Parrillo of creating "a fraudulent reinsurance scheme involving Hurricane Wilma" in which Argus lumped unrelated damages into Wilma claims in order to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars from other companies. Parrillo could not be reached for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Varela's complaints about that "scam" were ignored to such an extent that she had a nervous breakdown. Then, last March, Argus executives accused Varela of overpaying on customer's insurance claims. The affront allegedly sent Varela into near cardiac arrest: The lawsuit claims she "collapsed in the work place" and was hospitalized for five days.

Finally, the legal complaint continues, in late March an Argus executive took Varela out to lunch and told her she was fired.

Varela's lawsuit insists she was fired over her objections to Argus's "wrongful insurance practices" and her "refusals to follow directives... in violation of laws." If true, that would break a Florida law protecting whistle-blowers. But Charles Grimsley, chief legal officer at Argus, says Varela's lawsuit is bogus.

"We believe it to be unfounded," he says. "Ms. Varela is your classic disgruntled employee."

Varela and her lawyer refused to speak with Riptide, but others in the insurance industry say shadiness abounds.

"None of it surprises me," says attorney Ken Duboff, who has more than 60 lawsuits pending against Argus alone. "But not just because it's Argus. The nature of the insurance industry is that way. They don't go out looking for coverage. They look for ways to deny coverage."

In fact, by some measures, Argus is one of the more honest insurance companies in South Florida, he says.

If that ain't a kick in the junk, we don't know what is."
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2011/02/susan_varela_sues_argus_fire_c.php

 

[sunsaver]

Nice report, WifeZ. I just love your sense of humor and your fact finding abilities. My off-handed comments often sound like i'm making stuff up, but you are so good at finding real examples of the types of injustices that i rant about, often when drunk, thought thats not an excuse, more of a disclaimer. Good job!

 

[valmom]

And why does anyone think health insurance is a good idea? Like they are about anything other than profit at your expense, too. (arrgghh- don't get me started about the mandatory insurance in our "health care reform")

 

[Wifezilla]

Hubby and I both know insurance is just gambling in a thin disguise. You are betting you will get more in value from the insurance company than you pay in. But like a casino, the odds are in favor of the house. They rig the game so you get less than you pay in.

Super simplified, insurance is like going out to diner with a large group of friends. Some people order just a salad and a glass of iced tea. Others order lobster and a bottle of good wine. When the check comes, the people ordering lobster say "lets split the check evenly!". Then they can't understand why the people with the salad tell them to piss off. Then the waiter comes over and MANDATES you split the check evenly. So next time you all go out to diner, EVERYONE orders lobster and wine but still want to pay the lower amount they paid last time when a bunch of them only ate salad.

It's unsustainable.

 

[pinkfox]

unfortunatly while its true, given the cost of health care in this country, it only takes 1 emergency and you could easily loose everything

my frineds mother, never a health issue in her life got cancer about a year ago...she didnt have health insurance because she "never needed it" and "its a rip off" however once she got cancer...
now shes fighting to keep her house and they can barely put food on the table despite having a good job.

i know myself...if it wasnt for having some form of health insurance, id be in serious trouble.
i got an infection a few years back, mrsa in my chin...(was working in a pet store that was discusting but unfrotunatly the ifnection couldnt be proven to be linked directly to the store)
the bill came back at over $35,000 for 2 er visits, a lancing, blood tests/slides to confirm mrsa and 3 nights in the hopsital...
thankfully i was on minimum wage with no assests for them to take to pay it...so i managed to get assistance paying it.
but if i hadnt...what then?!

i do agree, insurance companies are parasites, they are theives and scumbags...
but in this country...i dont think its feesable to survive without some form of health coverage.
lord forbid something happen...you could easily loose everything just for 1 illness.

 

[i_am2bz]

Super simplified, insurance is like going out to diner with a large group of friends. Some people order just a salad and a glass of iced tea. Others order lobster and a bottle of good wine. When the check comes, the people ordering lobster say "lets split the check evenly!". Then they can't understand why the people with the salad tell them to piss off. Then the waiter comes over and MANDATES you split the check evenly. So next time you all go out to diner, EVERYONE orders lobster and wine but still want to pay the lower amount they paid last time when a bunch of them only ate salad.

Excellent analogy. I think even if you have a public school education you'll understand this example.

 

[Icu4dzs]

Wow! Thanks lynn1961! I am honored that you would take the time to read so much of my journal.

Valmom, my days of engineering and inventing new parts and devices are over. What i'm doing these days is simply rearranging off-the-shelf parts, or recycling old equipment for green purposes. Most of what i'm doing has already been done by others. I'm just trying to find the easy hacks that anyone could do. But thanks for the compliment! Chat with ya'll later!

SS is the original "Junk-yard Warrior". He can take old parts of stuff and turn them into things that will work for today's needs.
By the way, the very few times I ever got to watch television, my favorite show of all time was "Junkyard Wars". I think that is exactly what we need to do everywhere. Get folks to figure out how to recycle stuff to make was is needed.
How cool (no pun intended) is that?

 

[FarmerChick]

unfortunatly while its true, given the cost of health care in this country, it only takes 1 emergency and you could easily loose everything.....
i do agree, insurance companies are parasites, they are theives and scumbags...
but in this country...i dont think its feesable to survive without some form of health coverage.
lord forbid something happen...you could easily loose everything just for 1 illness.

I agree so much. Without that health ins. we have (which is wonderful) I would not have this farm. It would be long gone. Tony has racked up close to $100K easily with that heart/chest thing happening to him and other stuff and I know I would be a goner. My neck surgery years back was just under $40K...heck I would still be paying that off LOL--- While I hate the way it is run, and all that mess, to be without it is suicide in these times.