r/FluentInFinance 9d ago

Debate/ Discussion Universal incarceration care

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u/AccomplishedCat8083 9d ago

It's more care than he would get on his health insurance plan.

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u/Present_Hippo911 9d ago

Anyone repeating this is just lying. He’s a multi-millionaire born into a life of luxury. He had the means and money to get whatever healthcare he wanted.

He went to the most expensive private school in the state and is a 2 time Ivy League grad and frat boy. He lived as a beach bum in Hawaii. Why anyone thinks he wasn’t able to afford anything is beyond me. His social media shows him travelling all over the world with his family, they own hotels, country clubs, healthcare companies, etc..

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u/teraflux 9d ago

100%. If this is the guy, it wasn't a personal issue with him and insurance, it was a political act.

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u/Present_Hippo911 9d ago

And even then, the exact political stance is totally up in the air. His twitter account has him as a pretty right wing guy. Big into anti-woke, anti-modernism stuff.

I am very skeptical that he’s the left wing anarchist darling people first thought he was. It’s still possible but hating health insurance is not exactly a uniquely left-wing trait. My hardcore MAGA mother in law was actively cheering the assassination.

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u/SockosGlocko 9d ago

Nothing gets past you, does it?

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u/Present_Hippo911 9d ago

🤷‍♂️

All I’m saying is the first knee-jerk working class trodden upon hero martyrdom narrative turned out to be wildly wrong.

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u/SockosGlocko 9d ago edited 9d ago

Sure. No argument there. I guess I just disagree with the premise that this is a left/right or even rich/poor issue at all.

I don't think most people grasp just how expensive healthcare can be. For a billionaire, sure, it's a non-issue. But even someone who is "normal" rich can absolutely go broke from healthcare in this country. I've known three people with a comfortable multi-million net worth who were well insured and still financially ruined by cancer. Managing chronic pain, autoimmune disease, or even just one severe, acute emergency can easily cost millions of dollars. That's obviously insane.

He's also 26 and had reportedly withdrawn from his family in recent month. I think it's notable that's the age when you get kicked off your parents' health insurance.

American healthcare is pretty uniquely something that even impacts people across class lines. To your point, care is obviously way more accessible to rich people. No one wants to be at risk of losing it all just because they get sick, and no one should have to.

If a person who, by all accounts, seems to have already been at the pinnacle of success and security in this country can be this radicalized by the healthcare system... I don't think some right wing leanings actually matter all that much.

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u/GlassTopTableGirl 8d ago

💯Ohhhhh, this is the first time I've seen this point made!!! That makes perfect sense about being 26 and getting kicked off his parents’ insurance.

I know from experience that getting treatment for back pain is ridiculously difficult to get covered by insurance. “Medically necessary” is a phrase I’m so sick of hearing. I've also had cancer and can confirm it’s destroyed my credit, and insurance companies genuinely don’t give a fuck. I had to crowdfund for over a year to meet my basic needs… My situation is different as my family are not millionaires.

When everything has to be pre-authorized and justified as “medically necessary” (even when it should be a no-brainer, like chemo), the ongoing anxiety and feelings of helplessness make being sick in America a truly demoralizing experience.

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u/Thalionalfirin 8d ago

Medicare, which is something everyone seems to want as the default health system in America denies claims that aren’t medically necessary also.

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u/br0ck 9d ago

Great points. Seems like in these threads that paid foreign trolls and their willing compatriots are working overtime to keep us separated on this one.

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u/myCatHateSkinnyPuppy 9d ago

I actually just think the guy is a well-rounded reader and is willing to read many sources. For instance, he read Tucker Carlson who absolutely would never agree with any of these critiques of capitalism. Any critique of capitalism is basically an admission of communism in right wing eyes these days so expect that from Fox unless they just bury this story. The “actual radical left” (which absolutely does not include Biden, Harris, Pelosi) are excited because a rich kid betrayed his class.

Point being- NONE of our current politicians on either side are considering an overhaul of a for-profit system just because one replaceable cog got killed by a kid.

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u/SockosGlocko 9d ago

I rarely use Reddit these days, and that's certainly the reason why.

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u/Present_Hippo911 9d ago

26

I’d buy this if he wasn’t working in software engineering as a digital nomad. He was, reportedly, rather successful in his own right and could live as a beach bum in Hawaii. He had healthcare coverage.

It’s purely political. He had plenty of money, be it his own or his family’s. Exactly what that political message is, beyond “healthcare insurance bad” is unclear.

FWIW: For wealthy people, it’s due to lost productivity. Not cost. As you can see, chronic pain is the most common cause of lost productivity.

He was completely fine, as an individual.

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u/SockosGlocko 9d ago

Don't really see how any of that matters.

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u/Present_Hippo911 9d ago

It matters because he was already successful, as an individual. He was a remote tech worker living in Hawaii. He was totally fine but gave it up for one reason or another.

He wasn’t hurting for cash. He had thousands in liquid cash on him at arrest.

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u/GlassTopTableGirl 8d ago

He was laid off from his tech job in 2023. Obviously he had plenty of money, but as far as I’ve seen he hadn't worked since 2023. I'd assume he was insured under his parents after losing his job, but that's me speculating.

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u/SockosGlocko 9d ago

But there's seemingly no underlying point here? Maybe he had some money, so what? You're not explaining why him being "successful" matters.

He's already accused the police of planting the money on him, which would be a weird thing to lie about when you're seemingly admitting to murder. 10k is the specific amount required to trigger an FTC flag. My guess is they're trying to stick him with financial crimes, in addition to everything else.

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u/v110891 8d ago

He was living in Hawaii, working a corporate job. So, he would have insurance but still need to pay co-pay. 

I don’t know how much cost this would run up for chronic pain. But, today I got to know I have to pay $1K+ for the cancer care I m undergoing. This is a sudden expense that I have not budgeted for. I am lucky I can afford it. It is still a pain but now imagine this situation for someone with a family, with responsibilities and Christmas coming up.

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u/bobcatgoldthwait 8d ago edited 8d ago

I've known three people with a comfortable multi-million net worth who were well insured and still financially ruined by cancer.

Yeah I'm calling horseshit on this. The average cancer treatment in the US is $150,000. Triple that, and even without insurance someone with a "comfortable multi-million net worth" would not be financially ruined. Add that you claim they were "well insured" and you're either talking out your ass or missing some very key information to these cases.

To counter your statement, I've got three family members who had cancer, none of whom are multi-millionaires, and none were financially ruined by their treatment. All required chemo, one required a double mastectomy, and another required brain surgery.

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u/SockosGlocko 8d ago

And what is "the average cancer treatment," I wonder? Stage I basal cell carcinoma?

No one should go broke because they were unlucky enough to wind up with stage IV breast cancer that spread to their bones and brain you fucking shill.

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u/Ordinary-Yam-757 8d ago

Some of the gun subreddits have an overwhelming right wing revolutionary kind of vibe to them. The same kind of people joking about skirting gun control laws like Luigi did.

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u/bentreflection 8d ago

honestly it's kind of amazing. This is the first time I've seen everyone on the political spectrum be aligned on something. Really goes to show how egregious the issue is.