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Dying woman’s last wish: to pay off others’ medical debt – $15m worth
(www.theguardian.com)
Very distressing. And very distressing that it's even necessary.
Ffs, America! Wake the heck up. Vote for a party that actually wants to change this insane healthcare system. In every other developed country, this wouldn't even be an issue.
I'm guessing in every other developed country, the medical industry doesn't have a stranglehold on the government.
America is essentially run by corporations, you'd have to drastically expand the voting system to make it easier to route around corporate influence if you want to change anything. I'm talking nixing the "district" system in favor of multiwinner elections.
I'll yell from the roof tops about it every single time something even remotely similar is brought up. The Fair Representation Act would go a long, long, long way in fixing the inherent structural issues we have around voting and representation in this country.
Essentially, it turns the house of representatives into a bunch of multi member districts that get elected through proportional representation. Would both kill Gerrymandering and the innefectuality of third party voting with a single law, not even an amendment. It would also require STV/Ranked Choice Voting for all other federal elections like the President or Senators.
Unfortunately, because it's such a procedural and non-sexy law, it's having a hard time gaining broad activist support beyond heavily involved people like staffers, aides, and the like.
America is a third world country with a Gucci belt.
We can't. Unless we manage to do away with FPTP and install some version of RCV. It would also be useful to eliminate the Electoral College while we are at it, but I'm afraid that will have to wait till we get RCV as well
Money that could have gone to research, kids, elderly, goes to pay off dystopian medical bills in clown car America.
I've argued in a few other posts with people who say shit like "Do you have access to healthcare? Did a hospital turn you away?"
My answer to them is to go fuck yourselves, all of you shitty rude "fuck you, I got mine, pull yourself up by your bootstraps" motherfuckers.
What we have access to isn't healthcare for one. It's sick-care, as the notion of leveraging preventative care is laughable for the majority of Americans as high deductible plans have resorted to more cost cutting measures that are ultimately self defeating. What we are left with is the specter of financial ruin hanging over every health concern we experience in our lives. People go from their 30's into their 40's and forego exams, put off any procedures, and often wait until it's far too late to treat something entirely preventable.
Last year a video got very popular when a guy was hanging up lights and fell of his ladder, tweaking his leg. His awesome neighbor came running over asking him not to move, and shouting out to another bystander to call an ambulance, as it was very clear he damaged his leg if not breaking it. As soon as the victim heard the words "call an ambulance" he snaps up declaring that he's fine, and there's no need. 50 years ago it would have been perfectly acceptable and find for the average person to get medical attention for a fall like that.
Look at the most recent healthcare worker's strike over the simple fact that they themselves cannot afford many of the procedures they themselves perform.
The United States is in a second gilded age, and we need to rake the wealthy over the coals. If we continue to have only prosperity for a small few, then those few are going to find their heads in baskets soon.
Has lemmy got an equivalent to r/orphancrushingmachine? Because this would be perfect
Very wise of her. Though this is peak capitalism, living in a country to depend on private donations.
It’s really nice that she was able to pay off 1.5 other people’s debt!
Debt collectors purchase medical debt from banks for cents on the dollar. The fundraiser is going through an agency that's does this so they can help far more people.
John Oliver on LWT did the same thing in 2016, purchasing $15 million in debt for $60k. Here's that story.
That’s all great, but I think you missed the joke. The joke was that US healthcare is so expensive that people find themselves with multiple millions of debt from a single disease or accident. The fact that selling the debt is a form of profit enterprise is the duh dun tsss of the joke.
It seems the world lost a good one. Good on ya, Casey.
Why is this on !upliftingnews?
Just think of all those debt collectors getting bonuses. Doesn't it warm your heart with anger?
I mean... yes?
Wow. What a legacy. The idea of medical debt for necessary treatment is so wild to me though.
its the number 1 cause of personal bankruptcy in the united states. people go their whole lives saving, even having insurance and lose it all dying penniless.
yay free market.
It’s also a way that corporations aka wealthy people drain elderly people of their resources towards the end of their lives. Hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars that could have helped their children achieve some measure of financial independence instead goes to medical bills. This functions as a method of preventing generational wealth from accumulating, thus defeating class mobility.
I've got around $5000 of it. I wish I could have had some of it erased by this lady, but I'm glad others did.
I envy you. My partner is still paying off the attempted life saving medical efforts from their passed previous partner. Been almost a decade but here she is, still making monthly payments.
How is that her responsibility?
They were married.
Debt to an individual dies with that individual unless the other person cosigned or if the debt was tied to collateral. They can sue the estate, but it's a slog to do that and basically no one will. Debt collectors will, however, claim that all of this will happen and threaten away to the point where people either get scared or tired of the harassment and give up and "make payments". IANAL, but I went through this with my Dad when he passed. We were able to have his estate (a 5 figure sum) pass down to me without the medical debt collectors getting any of it.
I can't super tell if you are trying to fact check, debunk or simply trying to give more info about the topic, so forgive if this sounds curt. But I can assure that this is the situation and she spoke to lawyers trying to get it discharged. I'm not about to ask her for more details because obviously this is an emotional subject, but what I've already posted is my understanding of the events and timeline. Idk what else to say.
Neither, just passing on my experience. I didn't have any lawyers involved and it was pretty much telling them to fuck off and not paying the bills that came in his name.
In America all debt does not, in fact, die with the individual. It can be passed down to spouses ... which is about as fucked up as it gets.
Here is a list of debts that can be passed down.
Using your link and a quick search about filial laws: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dallasnews.com/sponsored/2022/08/28/the-parent-trap-filial-responsibility-laws-cause-financial-havoc-for-children/%3foutputType=amp
"Most of the 30 states that have filial laws do not enforce them"
I guess I was lucky that my father and I did not live in one of those states. But, 100% agreed that it's beyond up that it CAN be a thing in some states. Seriously, wtf.
To me as well. I mean my nation's is in rough shape, but at least we have universal health care.
dystopian news article spun as some kind of heartwarming thing.
We need a r/OrphanCrushingMachine for stories like this.
Very kind of her. Back to surviving on the largesse of the rich again are we?
Non Americans
God, I love our medical system.
Found the hospital administrator!
News: failing American health care system supplemented by generous donation of dying woman.
WOW $15M?
That'll almost free up 2 whole people from medical debt!
this post was submitted on 18 Nov 2023
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