Depressed Woman's Facebook Pics Ruin Her Insurance Benefits
It seems that placing privacy settings on your social networking profile isn't enough to keep snoops away. Nathalie Blanchard, of Quebec, Canada, learned that lesson when her long-term, sick-leave benefits were stripped from her because of photos on her Facebook account.For the past year and a half, Blanchard had been on leave from her job at IBM as the result of being diagnosed with serious clinical depression. Since the diagnosis, she had been collecting a monthly check from Manulife, her insurance firm. But after Manulife investigators discovered photos on her private Facebook page that showed her out partying with friends at a bar and vacationing on sunny beaches, the company decided to cut off benefits. The insurer considered the photos evidence that Blanchard was no longer depressed, according to a report by the CBC.
Blanchard told the CBC that she was only following doctors' orders and trying to have fun through nights out and short getaways. She added that while she might have been happy in the moment, her issues with depression persisted. Manulife, for its part, told the news outlet that it "would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on websites such as Facebook," but the company did not cite any other reasons for revoking her claim.
Since Blanchard's profile is private, it seems that Manulife would have had to resort to hacking or deception in order to gain access to the photos. Regardless of what you think about Blanchard's taking leave for a year and a half for feeling sad, that would represent a clear violation of trust and privacy. [From: CBC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
twdilunatiki said 4:59PM on 11-20-2009
so much for privacy
Reply
sick of britney said 5:18PM on 11-20-2009
OMG this is ridiculous!!!! I have had clinical depression my whole damn life...some days you don't want to get out of bed....Society as a whole is in major catastrophe and our younger generation is pathetic!!!....what next...I stumped my toe getting out of bed...pay up, and I won't be making it in to work today.....good grief...sick of this pathetic pay me for doing nothing mentality that exists in America.....
Reply
Zanzibar BB McFate said 6:13PM on 11-20-2009
Depression is a serious, sometimes debilitating condition. I'm not claiming to know whether this woman's malady was real or put on, but snidely referring to it as 'feeling sad' does a serious injustice to those who really do suffer.
I am the first to support throwing around witty sarcastic comments, but please be careful where real medical/psychological conditions are concerned.
Reply
Ashleigh said 9:57PM on 11-20-2009
These people at Munalife should be killed. When a person is recovering, that does not mean they are supposed to be crying! For shit sake! They need to be happy, Hello! How lame can you be? Obviosly these things are very supid. Yes, things.
Reply
Ashleigh said 10:12PM on 11-20-2009
I htink everyone should callthis company and tell them what is UP. How dare they! I wish depression on all of them! That is said with much deserved hatred!
Reply
saegos said 1:06AM on 11-21-2009
The woman and her insurance company are both self-serving, greedy idiots.
Reply
badcompanies said 2:00PM on 11-21-2009
if she's well enough to go out partying an enjoying herself than she's well enough to go to work - good on the company for not paying her more benenfits, she should be done for fraud.
The amount of people off on sick leave from my work is disgraceful; they're all back when their 6 months runs out, should be prosecuted for claiming money they don't deserve.
Reply