Man Purposely Imprisoned for Life-Saving Surgery

A 41-year-old man who had been incarcerated came to see me recently. While in prison he got in a fight, which led to a CT scan. He hadn't broken anything, but the scan did surreptitiously show two aneurysms. Both were in his hepatic artery (the artery that feeds his liver).

They were small, so the doctors kept an eye on the aneurysms without doing surgery. But the next time they checked, they had nearly doubled in size.

He was referred to a surgeon at a different hospital than the one I work at, and underwent an angiogram, to see the aneurysms better. The surgeons there said that he was sure to die if they did not intervene, and that they should schedule a surgery within the coming weeks.
Fortunately for him (or so he thought) he was released from prison one week later. When he returned for his pre-op visit, though, he was told that since he'd been released from prison, he no longer had insurance to cover the operation.

He asked what he should do. They told him to figure out how to get insurance.

I think this patient would be the first to admit that he had made numerous mistakes in his life. And he had paid a significant price for them. He truly was ready to make changes, to live positively, to help those around him. But, not knowing what else to to, it occurred to him that the easiest way to get the care he needed would be to get back in prison.

The next week, he went to a department store and, making sure a security guard saw him, pocketed some moisturizing cream. He looked up at the guard, smiled, and walked out.

After he was arrested, he wrote a note to the judge saying that he needed to get back into prison for a year, to get an operation. He told me the judge said "I'll give you 14 months, go get your surgery."

www.theatlantic.com...
And this was not the first time I read something like this.

This world is sick.

And I am sick of it.

Originally posted by ltdan08
This world is sick.

And I am sick of it.

I hear ya! some day we may all have to make Hunger Games choices.

Wow. Is it odd I find this a heart warming story? The judge will remember that for the rest of his life. wow.

reply to post by Spider879


Why didn't he just go buy some insurance? They can't turn him down for a pre existing condition. All he'd have to pay is the first months premium.

Originally posted by ltdan08
This world is sick.

And I am sick of it.

This only happens in the free country of the US

in MOST other countries

he would be treated because he was a citizen.

This free US doesn't value its citizens but treats most like dirt if they are not part of the RICH and connected class.

Originally posted by 00018GE
reply to post by Spider879

 

Why didn't he just go buy some insurance? They can't turn him down for a pre existing condition. All he'd have to pay is the first months premium.

you obviously dont work for an insurance company.

NOT this easy

they most certainly would turn him down ; once they quickly looked him up in their database and found out what condition he had

and how much he would cost them right after signing up

You are delusional if you think this guy would get insurance in today's world

Just because they can't turn you down for a preexisting condition doesn't mean they won't. They just come up with other excuses. It's pretty easy to get around the law, you can't force any specific company to make you a customer.

Originally posted by ArtisticOne

Originally posted by ltdan08
This world is sick.

And I am sick of it.

This only happens in the free country of the US

in MOST other countries

he would be treated because he was a citizen.

This free US doesn't value its citizens but treats most like dirt if they are not part of the RICH and connected class.

Ok I live in Japan people simply are not left to die here,is their system perfect? no! but it works and Japan has an aging population to boot, but no over crowded waiting rms, your doc fixed what ever ails you pay about $10. and off you go,but then again they have some thing called national insurance that you are required to buy into,call me crazy but why can't we adopt that system,last time I checked Japanese doctors and health care professionals make good money and are highly respected,but no price gauging an MRI could cost $1,500 in the U.S, but in Japan it cost US $98...WHY???

Originally posted by ArtisticOne

Originally posted by ltdan08
This world is sick.

And I am sick of it.

This only happens in the free country of the US

in MOST other countries

he would be treated because he was a citizen.

This free US doesn't value its citizens but treats most like dirt if they are not part of the RICH and connected class.

US values greed. It worships money; has a strange fetish of collecting and hoarding money.

That is pathetic. Whats the guy supposed to do when he has only two choices.. Go back to prison or die? There should be exceptions for these types of cases.

Ron paul would have left him in the street to die.

We are our brothers keepers.

Originally posted by Wertdagf
Ron paul would have left him in the street to die.

We are our brothers keepers.

I don't know why some folks idolized Ayn Rand and I like some of Ron Paul's ideas but he and others carved out that woman to be a goddess.
An interview with Evva Pryror, a social worker and consultant to Miss Rand's law firm of Ernst, Cane, Gitlin and Winick verified that on Miss Rand's behalf she secured Rand's Social Security and Medicare payments which Ayn received under the name of Ann O'Connor (husband Frank O'Connor).
atheism.about.com...
It is all good for them as individuals but not so for everyone else but what's amazing to me is they can convince a lot of folks who are not of their ecomomic or social class to go against their interest as long as they put a label on it like marxist,socialist,commie.

Originally posted by 00018GE
reply to post by Spider879

 

Why didn't he just go buy some insurance? They can't turn him down for a pre existing condition. All he'd have to pay is the first months premium.

I hope you're kidding. There are two obvious problems here.

1. You have to be a criminal in order to save your life.

2. You have to be a criminal in order to afford FREE health care.

it's rather sad he committed a crime to go back in and get the medical help he needs. even worse is this re-offending to go back in happens all the time apparently tho normally the reason is that after so much time locked up they are almost incapable of living free. a friend who spent a couple years in was telling us about that. how some will BEG NOT TO BE RELEASED. then if sent to a halfway house the FIRST thing they do is to go BACK to the prison, wait till the time is after the curfew at the halfway house, then just tell the guards to let him back in. the guards have no choice at that time but to take him back in as he broke the law by staying out after curfew. others will commit some petty crime to be put back. prisons do a realy good job at rehabilitation don't they? makeing a man NEED to be locked up due to the conditioning and rules they have lived under for so long, not to mention free food, healthcae and a place to live.

as for the medical part. i agree with others about the "criminal" expenses of US healthcare, that many can not afford and suffer and die as a result. a Canadian Olympic skier had an accident that her "insurance" did not cover, she later died and there was a lot of charity collecting for the whopping FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS in MEDICAL EXPENSES she accumulated as they tried to save her. a half million for going to the hospital that's rather steep and gouging don't you think?www.nydailynews.com...

yet at the same time the highly touted Canadian system being so called "free" for all citizens suffers it's own problems. the biggest is since doctors can make much more money a lot go practice down in the states which creates a SHORTAGE of doctors in Canada. it took me over a YEAR to find a general practitioner that was able to accept patients. apparently that is so common that there is a help line to help find one yet there are no gurentees that they Will find one, (and the one i got is useless, probably why she was able to accept new patients as people leave her). this is also partially because there is a mandated CAP of how many patients a doctor can have. than unless you are pretty much ready to die you can expect waiting over a year to get a specialist. and all sorts of similar issues. basically the Canadian system is useless, one of the worries i have had about the us trying to implement the Obama care since at least you CAN get HELP there provided you can afford insurance at least.

you have to wonder WHY the US medical is SO expensive tho. i lost 2 relatives within a few months of each other, one in the US and the other in the Philippines. the one in the Philippines was far worse and needed a lot more care. the COMPLETE MEDICAL BILL for the Philippines was CHEAPER THAN ONE DOCTOR FOR ONE DAY for my other relative in the US. why such a high difference? that's bloody highway robbery.

reply to post by generik

First let me say sorry for your loss.
I understand Canada has it's problems with brain drain for higher payouts in the U.S but I can't complain about Japan maybe they need to look at what they are doing right as for the U.S?? come on we can do much much better, we spend more on military contracts than all the worlds military combined and still don't feel any safer.

Originally posted by 00018GE
Why didn't he just go buy some insurance?

Just out of prison.
Probably couldn't get a job with insurance.
Probably couldn't afford it.

It was a rather smart thing for him to do.
He got himself room and board and life saving surgery.

Originally posted by ArtisticOne
in MOST other countries he would be treated because he was a citizen.

Health care isn't a right .. it's a commodity. That's just the truth of the matter.
Who would have paid for this mans surgery? Not him.
The hospital or the doctors would have been stuck paying for him.
They, in turn, would turn around and charge other patients extra to cover the cost of him.
Nothing is free.

The fella did the smart thing.
The tax payers are ending up paying for it.
But it was still smart on his part ....

reply to post by FlyersFan


Maybe in the USA but if that guy was to come to Australia, he would have no problems getting the surgery he needs free of charge. Thats right, no insurance, nothing.. Just sign your name and turn up on time after you have seen your GP of course.

This subject hits home for me.
about a year and a half ago, i was given a few years to live without a
transplant. My doctor ordered me to stop work that day and apply for disability
which i did.. being the good patient , doc knows whats right, not like i know all that
crap, i'm just a working stiff trying to provide for my family.

So, disability drags out, no cash income or medical for 10 months. Think you are broke,
try making ends meet on one paycheck, house payment 2 kids cars the normal works.
not one good paycheck, the wife works at walmart in the accounting department at the
local store. (She just works there, we dont ever shop there.)

We have insurance through her work, so we start digging into that... $5k deductible per person
per year, unless we want to pay $600 a month, which is out of our budget.

So our hope is medicare. Start digging into it, nope cant qualify for medicare until 2 years after
you are approved for disability.

So next move is obvious, medicaid, after applying several times we finally get some where, we are approved.
We are thinking things are starting to look up. But they have a deductible as well, for me the deductible
comes to $835 a month, then they will cover the cost of any of my medical.
Like that is even possible.

So i am peeved one day talking to a buddy and this topic came up. Looking into it, if one would
end up in prison, they do have some great medical coverage. My transplant would be covered.

We jokingly kicked the idea around and what to do to get put in there. But sadly, if things go downhill
fast health wise, it may have to be a option. Its that or die..

It's a sad state of affairs we live in when one would even consider something like this, but even sadder
when it is a viable option.

For me, i hope i would never have to find out, but i'd rather loose a few years and have a record than
die and not be around ever again for my family.

I do however happen to know where a high end sports car dealer is located and they do have some
sweet cars on the lot. One of them even boasts on its speedometer that it will go past 250mph.

Moral of the post. If you see on national news where a Stolen Lamborghini was in a high speed chase at
super high speeds. I'm gettin my transplant.

would i do it. i'd like to say, no, i was raised better than that. But its a thought that stick to the back of
the scull cap, beats dying thats for sure.

Originally posted by DarknStormy
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

Maybe in the USA but if that guy was to come to Australia, he would have no problems getting the surgery he needs free of charge. Thats right, no insurance, nothing.. Just sign your name and turn up on time after you have seen your GP of course.

edit on 3-3-2013 by DarknStormy because: (no reason given)

So what's the system in Australia,do citizens or laborers pay into a system through tax?? and if so does it hurt your pocket book.