It was bound to happen (Robbery for medical care)

That pretty much sums up the state of the medical care [or lack of it] in the US.

 

I don't think it's the level of care - I think it is because it is free.

 

Creative chap. He gets a point or two for that.

 

It's not totally free. They can't refuse to treat you. That's not to say that they won't every TRY to get you to pay something towards the care you receive. So it's free in the sense that they can't refuse to take care of you if you have no money, but it doesn't stop them from getting you to pay later - in some cases even taking your debt to collections.

 

He was looking for a roof over his head in addition to the medical care. That's why he wanted the 3 year sentence, because after that he'd be able to collect social security and get a home. Would the ER put him up for 3 years?

 

They can take you to a collection agency to get you to pay your hospital bills if you lack insurance. Then the collection agency threatens you with legal action if you fail to pay up. I know this from personal experience.

 

Iti s not hard these days to work with the hospitals to greatly reduce the bill. All is takes is some footwork. Doctors themselves might not want to wae a fee, but the hospitals work with the uninsured. Even the insured that can't afford their cut of the bill. At least in IL, PA and NJ they do.... cant' speak for other states, haven't lived in them.

 

I'm not saying the guy is Albert Einstein or anything, or that I condone his actions. He's working the system, and reading between the lines a bit, trying to gain some security. I don't believe he's homeless currently. The article says this:

It seems to me that he wants the medical assistance, and doesn't want to worry about where he's going to sleep from day to day. If he's in the slammer for 3 years, at least he knows he'll have room and board.

He's not exactly aiming for the stars or anything, but apparently the security of medical care, room and board outweighs the criminal record he'll gain. People are desperate these days, and doing a lot of whacky stuff.

Did you guys see the friendly thief? He robbed a convenience store, and apologized to the store clerk repeatedly while he did so. Truth often really is stranger than fiction.

 

/shrug. People in prison can't get any other medical care than what the prison provides, unlike people on the outside. You can't send a prisoner outside if s/he has a toothache or gets the flu, it's too much of a risk - so they have to be treated on the inside. If someone develops a nasty condition or dies because they were denied medical care in prison and the opportunity to get it elsewhere, any responsibility is on the agency running the prisons.

"He is hoping for a three-year sentence. He would then be able to collect Social Security when he got out and said he would head for the beach.

"I've already looked at a condominium. I've spoken to a realtor on Myrtle Beach," Verone said"

Now that strikes me as somewhat odd. So he's broke and can't even see a doctor now, but has enough social security savings (pension, I assume) to thing about buying real estate?

 

FOr sure - I'm not conding this guy's actions - I was just saying I can see why he did what he did. There definitely were, in my opinion, better ways of doing this.

Or even if they won't reduce the bill, they will certainly allow you to make payments. I had a friend who had a compound fracture in his leg when he wasn't insured. It required surgery to repair (multiple screws placed in his leg to put all the bone back together), and the bill came out to a few thousand dollars, which he couldn't afford. The hospital worked out a payment plan with him so that he paid $300 per month of the bill, and after about a year and a half he paid it off.

I agree - you're so poor that you don't even know if you can put a roof over your head, but you think your social security check is going to be enough to allow you to buy a condo in Myrtle Beach? I think the typical SS payout is about $24,000 annually - that's going to be a REALLY small condo.

 

Omg NHS ftw... tma?

 

wtf is tma?

 

Yeah, sad. It is better in Europa, but only by a margin.
Even in bad ol' Germany those kind of thing exists. It's just that people are more subtle about it here!

The ER might help someone out, but if you are unlucky and get - say- cancer...no ER in the world can help you, if you need a long term treatment.

 

Then he may need medical care.

Back surgery: VERY expensive without insurance. His bad foot might be because of his back. I have a foot problem as well because of the nerve that is connected to my spine.

Typically, hospitals will give big insurance companies a price break that the average patient can't get. But not all hospitals are the same; some are more profit driven than others. We have a few here in Houston that don't require insurance.

Also as a homeless person, he would have a tough time with the back surgery.

I have two bad discs as well and I live with it, rather than surgery. My next-door neighbor did the surgery and was on his back for about 2 weeks, and could not move about for about a month. I think it was about 2 months before he could return to work. He had a false start, where he went back, but ended up back home again for a few weeks before he was well enough to really work. But he's a auto mechanic. However, he's also about 15 years younger than I am.

At Verone's age, I would think he could qualify for SS disability. He would probably spend about a month or two, while not being bad off enough to stay in hospital, he would certainly not make it out on the street while recovering.

http://www.surgery-guide.com/back-surgery-cost.html