Man robs bank for $1 to get medical care in jail

Man robs bank for $1 to get medical care in jail

www.msnbc.msn.com

"The note said ‘This is a bank robbery. Please only give me one dollar,’" Verone said.

Verone said he doesn’t have medical insurance. He has a growth of some sort on his chest, two ruptured disks and a problem with his left foot. He is 59-years-old and with no job and a depleted bank account, he thought jail was the best place he could go for medical care and a roof over his head.

Verone said he wanted police to arrest him.

(visit the link for the full news article)

His note to the teller must be a sign of the times. If he had been successful getting his dollar and getting away and did that twice he could have paid for a doctor visit here in Mexico. Most doctor visits here cost between $20 - 35 pesos, under $2 to just over $3 US dollars.

Why so much in the US? I have been to Mexican doctors and have paid those prices and always feel I am getting more personalized attention. When I get my prescription filled and added to the doctor bill I am typically paying less than $10usd. Granted, a trip to a specialist may cost me closer to $30usd and the type of medical services this man needed could cost into the hundreds.

Americans tell themselves they are getting the world's best medical care to justify the high price but I have been to both and I disagree about the quality of care. When it comes to surgeons Latin American are not entirely lacking in skill, and if truth were known perhaps the most skilled surgeons in the world may be European. Americans may now only be world's leaders in weapons manufacturing and perhaps film media production.

I am leaving out another area that the US takes the lead, incarceration. No other country jails their people like Americans, but if you examine the California prison system it is obvious they do not receive the best care as prisoners, though much better than in some countries, quite likely.

Are Americans the world's biggest scofflaws? Or is it because like this man he expects to get better treatment while locked-up than he would in the open and fr... Do I dare say free society?

Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing.

www.msnbc.msn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


This has been posted upteen times already....search it up.

I know because I was about the 4th person to post this lol and had the thread removed

Maybe if the US stopped trying to police the world and creating the ill of the world they could afford free medical to heal their own inflicted with illness.


Nice pic,

Its a sorry state of affairs when a man needs to be arrested to get medical treatment!

The american health system is a joke all over the world and yet its certainly not funny for the poor folks who live there.

I really feel for those who cannot afford treatment. I remember hearing horror stories as a child whereby if you didnt have a credit card.. you didnt get an ambulance or treatment. (not sure how true that was but meh)

One day in Iraq is costing america soo much money which could and should be spent on medical assistance... as at the end of the day.. its the american people earning the militarys money and not the weapons that they waste their money on.

I look after my customers at work to ensure that they are happy.. arent americans just "customers" to their country? Only the company "america" doesnt value its customers and doesnt give a **** about keeping them happy.

*sigh* I just want to keep ranting .. but meh.. back to work!

S+F. good find!

I used to complain so much about the NHS (Britain) and then when I started to travel you realise the wonder of having free healthcare. Granted, effectiveness and care varies throughout the country and I must say some of the care I have received in Europe is top class, the main point being in Switzerland where I told them I did not have insurance as it was my first week there.

They told me not to worry about it and the priority was to treat me and that not to worry about anything apart from getting better. Even after 3 full days of care and a small operation they charged me about €400 and told me to pay whenever I could. The nurses even bought me some magazines in English and a doctor gave me his portable DVD to watch.

Got to say I love the European model, I hope that Americans will also be able to treated without prejudice and with focus on health and care rather than the $$$.

Peace

There is an idea people have (in Amerika) that the incarcerated have it easy: they get to work out, three square meals a day, a bed, and medical care. I can see how this guy would make the decision to go to jail to get medical treatment.
Medical care in this country is a joke. If they call it "Health Care" it has nothing to do with health.......just like the "War on Drugs" is not against drugs.....it's more like a "War Over Drugs"........geez..don't get me started. The simple fact that this guy robbed a bank for one lousey measley dollar to get health care should be seen as a peekhole into the state of affairs in this country....whether it's "Obamacare", "Medicare", "WTFDo Youcare" and our governing bodies should wake up and take notice. All of us should.Our government doesn't care. There IS NO CARE.

Have to add:
Amerika is a warmongering country. It has been since, let's say the bomb dropping on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Now it is especially so, just look att what's going on in the Middle East. If a warmongering country will not even adress it's own infrastructure to maintain or improve it, what makes anyone think it cares about the health of it's citizens? When a country has sold itself out to the industry of Death it is ludicrous to believe it has a viable "health care" plan on the table.

This guy could also have gone to any homeless shelter and applied for free medicaid. Why would he give up his freedom just for medical care. Now he will be locked up probably with big bubba harassing him and all that. Not worth it. If you are homeless you are obviously well below poverty level with a monthly salary less than $20 (what ever you get from pan handling), you obviously qualify for all the bells and whistles that the government has to offer you, and yes, you can still walk to the central park, etc and breathe fresh air of freedom.

Originally posted by Erongaricuaro

Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing.

Not a lot to say about this story really. Sign of the times I guess. People will get more and more desperate.

Off topic though, I appriciate the Pete Seeger!

Originally posted by CanadaMaster
This guy could also have gone to any homeless shelter and applied for free medicaid. Why would he give up his freedom just for medical care.

Maybe. He could apply. But if he lost his job less than two years ago, then NO. He would NOT be eligible.

If he has a condition that he doesn't think will wait two years for treatment, cannot get a job, and cannot yet qualify for Medicaid / Medicare, then this might have been the only option for rapid treatment.

Its a shame but that's the way it is. He has to be broke for two years and exhaust all of his assets and resources before he is poor enough and destitute enough to be treated. Or go to jail.

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


He should have moved to Libya, free health care in Libya, ohh never mind, the same money US could have used to help this man, instead being used to bomb, terrorize and destroy the most prosperous nation in Africa.

War means Peace

Never thought I would see the day.

Originally posted by lakesidepark

Originally posted by CanadaMaster
This guy could also have gone to any homeless shelter and applied for free medicaid. Why would he give up his freedom just for medical care.

Maybe. He could apply. But if he lost his job less than two years ago, then NO. He would NOT be eligible.

If he has a condition that he doesn't think will wait two years for treatment, cannot get a job, and cannot yet qualify for Medicaid / Medicare, then this might have been the only option for rapid treatment.

Its a shame but that's the way it is. He has to be broke for two years and exhaust all of his assets and resources before he is poor enough and destitute enough to be treated. Or go to jail.

These types of situations are horrible and yes, a sign of the times; however, there are a couple of things about this particular situation which really concern me. Firstly, the article on Yahoo, linked below, says that he worked for Cocoa Cola for 17 years as a delivery man - why wasn't he able to collect unemployment and go to the ER for a real emergency? In this country, a hospital cannot turn you away for a life-threatening illness even if you have no insurance. Plus he worked for Cocoa Cola as a deliveryman but couldn't handle a part-time job at a convenience store?

news.yahoo.com... lookout/20110621/ts_yblog_thelookout/man-robs-bank-to-get-medical-care-in-jail

Verone knew he needed help--and he didn't want to be a burden on his sister and brothers. He applied for food stamps, but they weren't enough.

I'm sorry but I know lots of people who have been victims of our downturned economy and if you have relatives that can help you out through the hard times, is it really right to use the system this way? It doesn't say that his relatives couldn't afford to help him - it says he didn't WANT to be an inconvenience which means we're talking about it being a matter of pride which, IMHO, is rather selfish when there are other people out there who truly have nothing and NO ONE they can turn to. Then there's this:

In jail, Verone said he skips dinner to avoid too much contact with the other inmates. He's already seen some nurses and is scheduled to see a doctor on Friday. He said he's hoping to receive back and foot surgery, and get the protrusion on his chest treated. Then he plans to spend a few years in jail, before getting out in time to collect Social Security and move to the beach.

So he's going to use the system to get the surgery he needs to become functional again and then collect SSDI to move to the beach??? And we should be sympathetic to this why exactly? Maybe others see this differently but this just rubbed me the wrong way and finally:

The teller was so frightened that she had to be taken to the hospital to be checked out. Verone, meanwhile, was taken to jail, just as he'd planned it.

Again, it's horrible to be sick and/or in pain and it's pitiful that our system is such that there's no fail-safe for this type of situation, but he caused the illness of another individual through his desperate and selfish act and that is just unacceptable to me. I'm sorry but my sympathy in this particular case has gone from 10 to zero pretty darn fast...

Timidgal

PS - Even though many parts of Obamacare don't kick in until 2014, there is a high risk pool that immediately covers those uninsurable with pre-existing conditions and it's government subsidized based on your CURRENT income so this gentleman did, in fact, have other options. I have a feeling there's more to this story than is being told.

reply to post by timidgal


Just read the reply , and just so you know, I agree with you. My post was more a logic of the thinking rather than the correctness of the response of the person in question.

In fact I've been there and can proudly say didn't do that, my choices sounded more like your reply, and I'm here now working every day, enough said.

reply to post by timidgal


That's right fellow lemmings, you heard the lady, we don't get any of the spoils.

Your post lacks so much insight by the way, but I have to admit it is a complex thing to understand, after all, those state dollars being printed out of thin air better go to the military.

Have a nice day.

reply to post by Erongaricuaro


I live in Seattle, WA and we have free clinics that provide health care for those who don't have money or insurance. We also have many free meals, food banks, clothing banks. and shelters for the homeless. I am just wondering what does North Carolina provide? Anyone know?

My heart goes out to this man...I am hoping some compassionate rich people will take notice of him and help him.

Come to Northern Ireland or the UK, health care is free. Pfff and to think the USA is the supposed superpower of the world. No wonder when they charge its citizens for everything