Has anybody heard about this?

[conuly]

It's a rather disturbing editorial about Tirhas Habtegiris, who died last month because her bill for her hospital stay was unpaid (essentially).

I'm sure I heard about this somewhere before, but I must've blocked it from my mind. I only found it link-hopping today.

Comments

[darkpoole.livejournal.com]

I'm speechless.

If you ask people—and especially poor people—what their most dire needs are, you'll find that "guaranteed ventilator support" ranks pretty low on the list. OK, I haven't actually done a survey, but I'm going out on a limb here and predicting that something like, say, milk, is going to rank a lot higher up the priority list than ventilator insurance.

"Guaranteed ventilator support?" How about "basic health care when you need it to keep you from dying?" I think that would be pretty high on any list. And what's the "principle" here? If you don't have enough money to pay for health care after you pay for food and shelter, you should just die?

AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!

[conuly]

If you don't have enough money to pay for health care after you pay for food and shelter, you should just die?

Yes, and decrease the surplus population. Obviously.

[l33tminion]

Well, they need to make sure there are plenty of beds free for the next Terri Sciavos.