stealing health care

[kollyf1979]

Somebody just emailed me this article. It's absolutely ridiculous:

http://vice.typepad.com/vice_magazine/2009/06/new-york-how-to-steal-what-belongs-to-you-health-care.html

This guy belongs in prison.

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Why?

[Dr. Funkenstein]

Is it telling that when I clicked on the link, it got blocked by my company's filter as "tasteless"?

[gdoane]

Why?

Theft of services.

If this guy had gotten his house painted with no intention of paying, he'd have a lien on his house.

If this guy had gotten his car fixed with no intention of paying, he'd have a mechanic's lien on his vehicle.

It's disgusting that medical professionals are left vulnerable to horrible people who steal from them by abusing the emergency room laws.

The emergency room mandatory treatment laws need to be repealed. They're horrible weapons in the hands of the 50 Million deadbeats in this nation with no health insurance.

Painters aren't required to paint houses for free. Mechanics aren't required to fix cars for free. There's no good reason for any business to have to give anybody free service.

There's also the small matter of these uninsured deadbeats pigging out on EMERGENCY RESOURCES. Those resources are extremely limited and people with REAL emergencies (defined as a condition which left untreated for 24 hours will result in a loss of life or limb) have to wait and wait and wait while these JERKS are thieving away at the resources that could be saving a life instead of treating their sniffles and upset tummies.

Their actions in abusing emergency resources amounts to the FELONY CRIME of reckless endangerment just as surely as if they were firing a gun into a crowd. They don't care who dies or even know who they're likely to kill but their actions can certainly cause somebody to die.

There should be prison time for this crime and the fines should be SKY HIGH, well over $100,000 minimum.

Then maybe the Emergency Room will be available to people with actual EMERGENCIES who are the ONLY people who belong anywhere NEAR the place.

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

I suspect young Seth's tongue was placed firmly in cheek as he wrote this.

[janer]

It's disgusting that medical professionals are left vulnerable to horrible people who steal from them by abusing the emergency room laws.

The emergency room mandatory treatment laws need to be repealed. They're horrible weapons in the hands of the 50 Million deadbeats in this nation with no health insurance.

You are absolutely right - this is a theft of services. Health care mandates stipulate that no one can be turned away, and a lot of poor people will use the ER as their clinic or primary care doctor's office (perhaps because primary care doctors are disappearing). However, if this person is working, there is nothing that prevents the hospital from going to court and attaching his wages, even if he doesn't have assets. It depends upon how far the hospital wants to pursue this.

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

I see another took him seriously.

[mysticbeauty_nbeast]

Somebody just emailed me this article. It's absolutely ridiculous:

http://vice.typepad.com/vice_magazine/2009/06/new-york-how-to-steal-what-belongs-to-you-health-care.html

This guy belongs in prison.

Kolly...you may want to add a 'language' warning to your link. ;) Some language that is present in that specific story and the following responses to that story on that page link could be sighted as a TOS violation.

As to the story itself....what else is new? I live in California; where this gross mis-usages of the ER room is as common as breathing. :rolleyes: Our state has to then insert into it's budget monies to cover the costs of these 'non-viable payers' from our tax income coffers. California tax payers are expected to pay for their own insurance; either vis a vie employer benefits medical share benifit; or private payed insurance, or cash payment for services; while being mandated to pay higher and higher taxes towards and for those that can't, won't or don't pay for the same medical services. Those who don't pay, or won't pay or can't pay expect everyone else to pay for them...:rolleyes:

Granted, medical services are not like any other goods or services. Medical services is not like buying a home, or car or requesting services to fix a car, or repair a home as Gene suggested. Medical is a basic human necessity. Those who require medical services should receive them regardless their ability to pay. Caveats should be applied to this specific field however. You should not be able to receive medical services if you are not a citizen of these United States; You should not be able to receive medical services if you are unwilling to apply for and fill out State aid papers; You should not be able to continue to receive medical services for a condition affected directly by a 'lifestyle'; and should be removed from receiving free services if you are not willing to follow the medical advice from medical professionals to improve your health. (such as 'quit the drugs or alcohol'; or stop eating yourself to death)

I have no issue helping those who truly need/require health care with my tax dollars. They should be treated no differently then those who have attained and pay for private health coverage. Unfortunately, those with private health care coverage receive a completely different set of medical solutions to those who have to depend on a free medical services vis a vie the state. To me, that's wrong. All people should be treated equally medically regardless of ability to pay.

~Mysty

[janer]

I see another took him seriously.

I don't take him seriously. I take theft very seriously.