So What Do You Call This Woman?

[dynasaw]

"Mary Brown, a 56-year-old Florida woman who owned a small auto repair shop but had no health insurance, became the lead plaintiff challenging President Obama's healthcare law because she was passionate about the issue.

Brown "doesn't have insurance. She doesn't want to pay for it. And she doesn't want the government to tell her she has to have it," said Karen Harned, a lawyer for the National Federation of Independent Business. Brown is a plaintiff in the federation's case, which the Supreme Court plans to hear later this month.

But court records reveal that Brown and her husband filed for bankruptcy last fall with $4,500 in unpaid medical bills. Those bills could change Brown from a symbol of proud independence into an example of exactly the problem the healthcare law was intended to address.

The central issue before the Supreme Court is whether the government can require people to buy health insurance. Under the law, those who fail to buy insurance after 2014 could face a fine of up to $700."

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-na-healthcare-plaintiff-20120309,0,6657163.story

Wish I understood people like her. Probably drives around with no auto insurance.

[Zalatix]

1. She would probably still have those bills if she did have insurance.

http://pnhp.org/new_bankruptcy_study/Bankruptcy-2009.pdf

[Ian David]

6. Sounds like she paid her medical bills, but had no money left for all the other bills. n/t

[SmileyRose]

2. Nothing confusing about this

she's a deadbeat that expects everyone else to pay for her bad choices.

[MrScorpio]

4. Deadbeat, for sure

As well as fanatically stupid.

[dynasaw]

10. "Fanatically stupid!"

Love that phrase!!

May I quote you on that since there are lots of reasons to use that phrase these days.

[MrScorpio]

17. Go for it nt

[KathieG]

19. Is that a cigarette in her hand?

[drm604]

3. Hypocrite?

It sounds like she wants to receive medical care when she needs it but doesn't want to have to pay for it.

[Dokkie]

5. Yea, because we all know people

with insurance never file for bankruptcy. The problem is that some people just dont want any help even when they need it, some people refuse the paramedics at an accident site and end up suffering from complications different strokes for different folks.

We just cannot force our goodness on other people, some people arejust like that. This is why the mandate fails and should be defeated by the supreme court.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. A leech/teabagger-type

The want everything but want someone else to pay for it.

Overweight smoker with a Lincoln Town Car mooching off of others. Nice.

[patrice]

8. Confused.

[patrice]

15. Thanks much, but I do know that it'd be interesting to see what else is in that bankruptcy . . .

since we are to assume that this particular meme is about individuals taking their own responsibility for their lives and not taking stuff from others, you know . . .

[treestar]

11. She should be against filing for bankruptcy too then

The bankruptcy law represents some form of socialism - she didn't have to pay the discharged debt. Somebody absorbed it. She got her doctors to work for free - they paid for it.

[mmonk]

12. You can't fix stupid, especially those that belong to America's

rightwing cult. They will continue to vote to screw themselves.

[Scuba]

13. You call her the Republican base.

[patrice]

16. Ding! Ding! Ding! DU -zzy nominee here!!!

Well played!

[Drahthaardogs]

14. So, basically the rest of us ate her bills

both medical and others, which caused those of us who do pay for insurance, mortgages, etc. to pay MORE. People like her make me think people will not "get it" until they bring back debtors prison.

[Honeycombe8]

20. Bankruptcy does not clear medical bills. Remember when that law passed a few years ago?

Joe Biden voted for it. I remember it well. It was so unfair.

So if a person gets a huge medical bill for, say, cancer, and it causes them financial ruin (whether they have ins. or not), there is no way out from under it. That bill stays with you until death, unless the care providers negotiate a deal with you.

Of course, if you have insurance, there is usually a cap on the maximum amount you will have out of pocket in any year. Mine is $10K, I think (through my employer).

But there's a lifetime max, so if you have a severe condition, you may end up responsible for everything over that max. Until the new healthcare law is enacted fully; it does away with lifetime maximums. And that's a very good thing.

[Drahthaardogs]

22. I had forgotten about that little piece of wonderment.

However, the bottom line is, her lack of insurance which led to bankruptcy means the rest of us had to pay for her. Now, I don't mind paying for those who cannot, but I sure do mind paying for those who will not.

[Honeycombe8]

23. Oh, I agree with you on that 100%. Hypocrites. nt

[HopeHoops]

18. "Mary"

[Odin2005]

21. Freeloder.