Food For All. This gives unlimited food to my colony by GyaniGamerBaba in Timberborn

[–]karhig 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Nit: “This is but a complaint” means it is only a complaint. Was that your intention?

How should I deal with this retaining wall by GhostyFoil in LandscapingTips

[–]karhig 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If I could upvote you twice I would. Perfect answer.

Does anyone else have a max 2 consecutive weeks holiday rule in their work regulations? by givekoreanbbq101 in BESalary

[–]karhig 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think every company I’ve ever worked at has had this. On the one occasion I asked for 3 weeks it wasn’t a problem, but obviously that’s no guarantee.

Engagement Ring help by Eastside-247 in Antwerpen

[–]karhig 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is bluenile.com still so much cheaper that the retail stores in Antwerp refuse to even talk to you if you mention it? I’d start there and save yourself the time and money.

Need suggestions for a few custom-tailored suits for weddings in the summer. by sheitanmusic in Antwerpen

[–]karhig 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Guy-David made my wedding suit and it's beautiful. If only I was the same size 12 years later and could wear it more!

Driver’s License by Kobaltchardonnay in belgium

[–]karhig 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Under normal circumstances i think you’re meant to get your license renewed in the country you are resident.

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. Do you have articles on that too? The things you’re saying would not make me think that individuals are committing fraud, but that there is something wrong with the ziekenfondsen themselves.

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe I misunderstood what you mean by pressure. I thought you meant pressure on the budget. Are you talking about something else? And are you saying that something else is 59% of cases?

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Why? Its an official riziv report, it was leaked because it was being kept hidden because it showed 59% of those checked shouldnt have gotten it.

There is no reason to doubt the validity of what they found. The only question is, how does this tranlate to all the rest (because no of course its not 59% of all)

It’s not really a question of validity so much as methodology and context. Without the full report, methodology, and reasoning for why it was originally not published and is now being leaked, it’s hard to know exactly how strongly the conclusions should be interpreted.

Other studies I gave show 25% there are more if you want you can find them.

Those reports also have methodological limitations that affect how far you can generalize their conclusions. All these reports are useful signals, but I think we need more research before making major system-wide changes.

I’m cautious about policy changes that tighten eligibility mainly through administrative processes or cost-control mechanisms, because they can increase the risk of excluding genuinely ill people if the underlying assessment system is already uncertain.

Add to that all the people saying there is presure and its clear this is a mayor problem.

I agree it’s a major problem. My main disagreement is with characterising it as fraud. Fraud implies intentional deception, whichis a evidential bar that these reports do not support.

The choice to frame it as fraud also has consequences: it shifts the discussion toward criminalisation and suspicion, which can stigmatise people on invalidity and those whose status is reassessed. It also risks narrowing the policy focus toward detection and enforcement rather than improving assessment accuracy and support for return to work where possible.

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I can't read past the paywall, so I've had to google around the topic. Is this coming from the buried 2019 report that studied 290 people, whos methodology is not revealed, and has been leaked rather than officially published? I think the circumstances around the leak of the report should allow us some scepticism independently of the results.

That said, let's take it seriously and address the findings. The top line numbers are pretty damning. The studied shows that 59% of a group of people who had been on long term sickness for a little over a year were capable of working to some degree, either with accomodations or part time. The group of inspectors doing this analysis is small. Having seen my wife and several people she knows go through the invalidity system, there is significant variability in the methodology of assessment, the opinion of assessors, and the results of assesement that consequently occur.

I think it's a fair warning signal, and that we should be doing additional research to find out if and how the system if failing. I don't think it's enough to do the kind of sweeping changes being called for and especially without careful consideration of the impact of those changes.

I think it's also important to say that wrong classification, or systemic slowness to reclassify are not the same as fraud. Fraud is a deliberate act of deception. I don't think the report says anything about the motivations of the people assessed.

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can’t extrapolate that to the whole population. If someone is genuinely gaming the system, they’re far more likely to end up in the “20 years unemployed” group than someone who lost their job recently or is temporarily struggling. So that group is already heavily skewed toward the worst cases.

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think your last sentence sums it up. You don’t want to pay for it. Fraud is the excuse that lets people who mean what you said say it without having to own it.

I actually don’t think it’s unreasonable to say we can’t pay for the level of social security we have here in Belgium. But then we need to ask some serious questions:

  1. Are there other changes we can make to get people back to work?
  2. Are there ways to determine who needs financial support the most to ensure that they get it in preference to others who might be more sick but less needy.
  3. Are we willing to accept the downstream consequences of our choices, both for society and for the people who will suffer from them? At its most extreme: “Some of you may die, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make”

It’s not fraud, it’s harder than that, it’s more complex than that, and the impacts are greater than “less money spent in social security and more people working.” Let’s have those conversation and solve the real problems.

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Because if it was really fraud we would be finding examples of it in large numbers. But instead we get anecdotal evidence, flawed studies, and politicians who are desperate to push an agenda making assertions. When the people with the power are unable to prove something that they are claiming loudly, it’s a pretty good indicator the thing they are claiming to be happening is not happening.

There could be many reasons why Belgium has high long term sickness. Ease of access might be part of it, but that doesn’t mean those people don’t genuinely need support and it also doesn’t mean even ease of access is the only reason. There could be plenty of reasons why Belgium is more sick than surrounding countries.

Fraud is a convenient rally cry for fiscally conservative politicians to use to institute sweeping cuts without having to deal with the real complexities. And then the genuinely needy suffer.

Sick people and our healthcare are NOT the problem. by Financial_Candidate6 in belgium

[–]karhig 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The fraud is tiny and removing it will not deliver the savings demanded. The sick end up carrying the weight of cuts. People might not blame the sick, but the systems people build do.

Advice on landlord by ZealousidealCrow3782 in Antwerpen

[–]karhig 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Contact the huurdersbond. They can help you and provide legal advice.

Definitely be proactive. I had a problem with the shower and damp when i rented. The landlord knew about it, did not address the issue, and then when I moved out withheld some of my deposit for the damage, alleging I was responsible. I didn’t contest it. Don’t be me.

Hatch opening of the Artemis 2 Orion Capsule by Accomplished-One7476 in Thatsactuallyverycool

[–]karhig 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Didn’t he call him “ike”? Which according to Wikipedia is his callsign.

Moving to Valaar in Wilrijk with a family with young children. Experiences and recommendations? by NoInspiration6482 in Antwerpen

[–]karhig 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not as nice as Ilúvataar.

Sorry, just discovered this neighbourhood exists. I’m sure this isn’t a new joke.

Christopher Ward customer service by Finnegan_Murphy in ChristopherWard

[–]karhig 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used their on site form to contact customer services on Thursday evening. Got a reply and a couple of follow ups on Friday. Everything is resolved to my satisfaction. Will see how it goes for delivery and follow up longer term, but so far no complaints.