Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Slava]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I haven't followed this, and I should.

But with No Fault in Alberta will the accident benefits be increased. Time they are accessible and amounts covered.

I have a dim recollection that the SGI benefits are very good.

I'm talking about general pain, suffering, and inconvenience. I understand that an injured party could go and get all the physio and massages they need (or whatever is required). But you know...there is also that ongoing issue of having to do that, not being able to do the things you like doing, and that is someone else's fault. You should be able to get some financial compensation in that case.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Slava

I'm talking about general pain, suffering, and inconvenience. I understand that an injured party could go and get all the physio and massages they need (or whatever is required). But you know...there is also that ongoing issue of having to do that, not being able to do the things you like doing, and that is someone else's fault. You should be able to get some financial compensation in that case.

I know exactly what you are talking about.

But currently in Alberta your own medical benefits are only I think $50k (?) and can be accessed for only 2 years.

I am wondering if that amount has been increase and time the benefits are accessible has been extended.

BTW, I am with you, I am not a fan of no fault.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Slava

Yes, I know we're taking away that right here in Alberta, and I disagree. Most injury lawyers work on contingency, so there generally isn't an issue with people not being able to afford someone to represent them in those cases. And yes, you can sue your insurer if you feel they're not providing the care you should receive.

But the thing is, if someone is negligent and causes an injury to me, I want to be able to sue them for damages. That makes perfect sense. Sure, the treatments and such are covered, and that's all well and good. But what about all of the other issues that come with that? I can go get the treatment regularly and that's "free", but all of the accompanying issues with that are for me to deal with, when the cause was someone else's negligence.

The other way to deal with that is to have an insurance company that is owned by the people (ie. the government) and ensures that you are fully covered in all aspects of your life that are impacted by the event.

If the coverage was complete then you would not need to sue anyone to make up the difference.

The government owned insurance company would have other advantages because they could regulate aspects of the impact. For example, if you break your arm in an accident and your employer decides to fire you because you cannot do your job, the government could pass a law saying that companies cannot fire someone while on injury leave. And the government would be motivated to ensure the company complies because otherwise you will end up on EI, which increases the burden on the government.

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by indes

Insurance is out of control. How are people even making it out there? My wife and I both have great paying jobs and it still feels like we're falling behind. I just got quoted 4800$/yr for my house + car insurance.

$6970 for home & two vehicles

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by indes

Insurance is out of control. How are people even making it out there? My wife and I both have great paying jobs and it still feels like we're falling behind. I just got quoted 4800$/yr for my house + car insurance.

Cheap! 2 decent but non-luxury cars and a slightly more valuable than average priced house and we're paying $6000/yr.

[indes]

Ya I think my wife pays 2400 or so for her car, bringing us to $7200. House around 800k and 2 vehicles around 45k & 25K. I'll update after I do some shopping around to see if I can get a better deal.

EDIT: Insurance premiums seems like something AI would be good at figuring out...