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Should the Gov't Pay For Injured Man's Wii?

Posted by kdawson on from the if-the-wii-fits dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Politicians in the Australian state of Victoria are currently locked in a debate about whether an injured man should be able to claim the cost of a Nintendo Wii for rehabilitation purposes under worker's compensation. The man's doctor apparently recommended he use the Wii Fit exercise device, but both insurance companies and the government itself have blocked the payment and have now ridiculed the idea as paying for video games. But with the Wii Fit increasingly being used for rehabilitation purposes internationally, does the man have a fair case?"

4 of 222 comments (clear)

  1. It's probably cheaper than the alternatives by dingen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm not saying they should condone it, but a Wii is probably a lot cheaper than any other form of treatment or medication. Just saying.

    --
    Pretty good is actually pretty bad.
    1. Re:It's probably cheaper than the alternatives by Kirijini · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't get it. The man's doctor recommended he use a wii. Why shouldn't the government or insurance pay for it as part of his workers comp? If they're gunna pay for him to receive treatment, why are they making such a big fuss about something his doctor recommended?

      They are spending way more money (time and resources) on fighting it than they would if they just bought the damn thing. Seriously, a Wii and a Wii Fit are equivalent dollar-wise to probably between one and two hours of lawyer-time. The cost of having various flackeys come up with reasons why not paying for the wii is the right thing to do, writing that out for the rejection letter, press releases, internal memos, etc. all adds up too.

      Frankly, the AU government and/or the insurance company is wasting its money - not only in fighting the payment for a wii, but in the way it approves or rejects payments. The process should be really simple: Did the doctor recommend it? Do we have any reason to suspect the doctor? Is there a clearly less expensive substitute that still fulfills the doctor's recommendation (i.e., a Wii not custom fabricated out of gold)? Is the payment less than x (x being the cost of rejecting the payment and winning a typical subsequent legal challenge)?

      All of these questions are really easy and would take up less than 5 minutes of a reviewers time. They would also weed out most fraud.

    2. Re:It's probably cheaper than the alternatives by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You cannot return a used joint but you can return a used Wii.

      Just make them return the Wii once treatment is over. You don't get to keep "free" wheelchairs after you've recovered either.

  2. Re:Yes, and no. by clemdoc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I break a leg, I get crutches (if necessary)[1]. After I don't need them anymore, I have to give them back or pay for them. Same thing for the wii -> problem solved.
    [1] In Austria. YMMV