# Health care horror story #13848732 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 26, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612 "2009-12-26T08:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 43
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/841 "2010-02-18T21:41:16Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Cancer treatment starts at about 250 thou. Better get saving. If you haven’t saved 250 grand in a special account for when you’re denied treatment by your insurance company (by the time you’re 40)… Well then it’s your own damn fault, and you deserve to die. Why should I pay for you to live if you are that irresponsible? (just summing up some people’s logic around here) ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/842 "2010-02-18T22:44:35Z")
> [@Eleasarian](#): > > :rolleyes: Do _you_ read all of the inane things people say? I sure don’t. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Funny. The US has a habit of taxing folks like _us_ in order to hand you a disability check every two weeks, and yet we aren’t complaining. No, they tax you so that you can have a social security check when you qualify for it. Oh, and yes you are complaining. > [@](#): > > I find your lack of empathy disturbing - but not nearly as disturbing as your lack of a sense of irony. The fact that I don’t have as much empathy for thing that you happen to think I should does not translate into a lack. > [@Broomstick](#): > > That said - she should have gotten on foodstamps like an honest slacker instead of _stealing_ from a restaurant. Seriously, she thinks it more moral to effing _steal_ than to accept government aid? 😕 Try keeping up. I was still living in my parents house, except for the times when I ran away - I didn’t qualify for food stamps. I’m not even sure I knew about food stamps at 14. > [@Meyer6](#): > > Your land is valuable _now_. Not so much after the big one causes half of California to fall into the sea. Well, should that happen it would be immaterial since I imagine I would end up falling into the sea as well. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/843 "2010-02-19T01:52:29Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > You should have been putting away enough money to cover any and all possible contingencies, and not assumed that your employer would continuously cover you throughout your entire life. > > The fact that you did not plan for such an event means that you do not deserve consideration, because any intelligent person who doesn’t plan to be a drain on society will NEVER run into such a situation. They will have ALWAYS put enough money away for all possible options in any given scenario. > > (we’ll see how close to the mark I got 😃 ). Oh, I think you nailed it. And she’ll still claim she never said any such thing. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/844 "2010-02-19T02:00:50Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > > [@Broomstick](#): > > > > That said - she should have gotten on foodstamps like an honest slacker instead of stealing from a restaurant. Seriously, she thinks it more moral to effing steal than to accept government aid? > > Try keeping up. I was still living in my parents house, except for the times when I ran away - I didn’t qualify for food stamps. I’m not even sure I knew about food stamps at 14. If you were 14 when you were stealing from restaurants and eating napkins instead of food then you’re parents were irresponsible and should have either fed you properly or lost custody of you so you could have been raised by compassionate human beings so there’d be a chance of you growing up to be a normal person instead of a bitter hag with the empathy of a sociopath. Yes, at 14, if your family had applied for food stamps you, too, would have been counted among the household residents and qualified to receive aid. You also would have qualified for a free or reduced price lunch at school. At 14 you wouldn’t have needed to know this under normal circumstances, your parents would. Unless, of course, you just liked the taste of paper napkins. If you were legally adult yes, you could have applied for government aid specifically intended to keep people fed so they don’t have to steal. Either way, what you did was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/845 "2010-02-19T03:22:15Z")
Any one else appalled that someone who has now spun out a tale of completely neglectful, horrifying parents who let her run away at age 14 to eat stolen napkins and condiments, who couldn’t be bothered to keep her in the home or to keep her and her sibling properly fed when she was there, and who has no children of her own thinks that she has any capacity to speak about what other people should or shouldn’t do with their children? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/846 "2010-02-19T04:08:45Z")
No, I am no longer shocked by that aspect of **curlcoat**. I am, however, relieved that she did not reproduce. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/847 "2010-02-19T04:25:23Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If you were 14 when you were stealing from restaurants and eating napkins instead of food then you’re parents were irresponsible and should have either fed you properly or lost custody of you so you could have been raised by compassionate human beings so there’d be a chance of you growing up to be a normal person instead of a bitter hag with the empathy of a sociopath. Uh huh. And your excuse for being a bitter hag with the empathy of a sociopath is? Yes, my parents were irresponsible like far too many are - and? > [@](#): > > Yes, at 14, if your family had applied for food stamps you, too, would have been counted among the household residents and qualified to receive aid. As I said, you need to keep up if you are going to keep making statements like this, because you are just making yourself look foolish. My parents simply chose to not bother to give us food or money for it, but they themselves would not have qualified for food stamps. As I have said before. Perhaps if you all didn’t assume things so often… > [@](#): > > Either way, what you did was wrong. Of course it was - are you just figuring this out? It’s one of the many reasons why a large section of society shouldn’t be having children - because those kids tend to end up breaking the law. > [@tumbleddown](#): > > Any one else appalled that someone who has now spun out a tale of completely neglectful, horrifying parents who let her run away at age 14 to eat stolen napkins and condiments, who couldn’t be bothered to keep her in the home or to keep her and her sibling properly fed when she was there, and who has no children of her own thinks that she has any capacity to speak about what other people should or shouldn’t do with their children? I have never said anything about how folks should be raising their kids, even tho I ended up raising my last two brothers as you well know. However, whether I have children or not has no bearing on things like whether they should be allowed to run amok at stores or scream in restaurants. It doesn’t require one to be a parent to see that those things are anti-social and just wrong, not to mention setting a bad example for the child. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/848 "2010-02-19T08:10:14Z")
[QUOTE=curlcoat;] Well, should that happen it would be immaterial since I imagine I would end up falling into the sea as well. [/QUOTE] And all the peasants shall rejoice. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/849 "2010-02-19T08:17:17Z")
Hey, **Broomstick** - we should join forces - I’m a brainless jerk, you’re a bitter hag. Together we can use our evil forces to keep poor, hard-done-by **curlcoat** down. I’m picturing a TV show in which we roam Southern California, looking for new high class snobs to tax right out of existence! We can call it _Brainless and the Hag_! What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/850 "2010-02-19T20:30:02Z")
Napkin. Motherfucking. Sandwiches. She ate the paper! What the holy fuck! I missed a lot while I was gone. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/851 "2010-02-20T22:00:20Z")
If she was eating napkins, she probably would have eaten the food stamps too. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/852 "2010-02-21T21:24:18Z")
[A System from Hell: How Medical Crises Have Taken My Family to Financial Ruin | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-michelman/a-system-from-hell-how-me_b_186177.html) Here is another health care story. Professionals that wind up bankrupted by a stupid system. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/853 "2010-02-21T22:33:33Z")
It’s awesome that people are arguing with somebody who ate napkins. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/854 "2010-02-22T00:52:42Z")
It becomes sport. You know a lot of compelling and honest posts have been offered. But someone will rack her brains trying to refute . It is amusing to see how much damage she is doing to her sphincter pulling responses out. I admire her willingness to do battle is the face of overwhelming facts. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/855 "2010-02-22T00:57:52Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > It becomes sport. You know a lot of compelling and honest posts have been offered. But someone will rack her brains trying to refute . It is amusing to see how much damage she is doing to her sphincter pulling responses out. I admire her willingness to do battle is the face of overwhelming facts. Given the true story you just posted, I’m sure you can imagine that her responses will go something like this: –it was the husband’s fault for trying to walk when he wasn’t steady –it was the daughter’s fault for riding a horse that got spooked –they should have piled up a lot more money early on (maybe by not having a daughter) –stuff happens, so screw 'em Is that about right? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612/856 "2010-02-23T22:57:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I think she’s making this stuff up as she goes, which is the easiest explanation for the lack of consistency and changing stories. It’s [The Curly Shuffle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTzsi6WT6Q). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-care-horror-story-13848732/522612.md?page=42)