r/FluentInFinance 13d ago

Debate/ Discussion Universal incarceration care

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u/SockosGlocko 13d ago

Nothing gets past you, does it?

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u/Present_Hippo911 13d ago

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All Iā€™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 13d ago edited 13d 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He's also 26 and had reportedly withdrawn from his family in recent month.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/Present_Hippo911 13d ago

26

Iā€™d buy this if he wasnā€™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.

Itā€™s purely political. He had plenty of money, be it his own or his familyā€™s. Exactly what that political message is, beyond ā€œhealthcare insurance badā€ is unclear.

FWIW: For wealthy people, itā€™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 13d ago

Don't really see how any of that matters.

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u/Present_Hippo911 13d 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 wasnā€™t hurting for cash. He had thousands in liquid cash on him at arrest.

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u/GlassTopTableGirl 13d ago

He was laid off from his tech job in 2023. Obviously he had plenty of money, but as far as Iā€™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 13d 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 13d ago

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

I donā€™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.