Another triumph for the American health-care system

[Steven Snyder]

This isn't just shameful, it is malicious.
It is cold, calculated, evil behavior directed at one thing, protecting the bottom-line.

Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley, who called Debbie Shank's case "unbelievably sad," replied in a statement: "Wal-Mart's plan is bound by very specific rules. ... We wish it could be more flexible in Mrs. Shank's case since her circumstances are clearly extraordinary, but this is done out of fairness to all associates who contribute to, and benefit from, the plan."

"Oh my hands are tied!" they exclaim, as if they are helpless peons. A wise man once told me to ignore everything that preceeds the word "But" as it holds not relevance. So their justification is:

"this is done out of fairness to all associates who contribute to, and benefit from, the plan."

So I assume this means that they are screwing this poor woman so they don't have to screw everyone else.

I wonder how much they are going to spend on the next rounds of TV ads to shore up their reputation?

[Darth Wong]

That's because in Canada, something like this (although I can't see how it could happen) would be considered a failure of the health-care system. But in America, this is the system working normally. The only reason it's an issue at all is because Wal-Mart has shitloads of money, so people want them to lay off even though they have every right to do this under the system.

Similar things are possible, for example if your a Veteran and your taking advantage of the retraining and income loss program from the military's insurance company (SISIP) and you get a settlement from VA or CPP then they take a large portion of it under similar reasoning. There's a class action in progress right now to stop that.

Well, that's not great but it's just two overlapping government benefits programs (retraining/income vs VA/CPP), isn't it? It's not like OHIP coming and demanding all of their money back for your health-care treatments over the last 5 years.

[Zixinus]

I truly feel sympathy for the poor husband. Not only he has to work his ass off just to pay the bills, but he has to deal with his brain-damaged wife. I cannot even begin to imagine how much shit he must feel.

I particularly liked the one asshole who said that the article was left-wing propaganda, designed to trick the good people of America into accepting a socialist health-care system.

What quite ironically, many ex-socialist countries still keep and love, and trust me, the people of these countries have far more reasons to hate the very word then any American possibly can have. The people EXPECT not to pay for healthcare, provided they paid their taxes and stuff.

There was a mayor campaign here (as in Hungary, another ex-socialist/ex-communist country) when the government made a somewhat mandatory (people below 18, long-term sick and disabled didn't have to pay, I think) 300 Ft (about 1,85 dollars) entry fee hospital fee. The elderly people were given extra to their retirement fund to compensate for this.

There was enormous controversy and the law was removed by public vote within a month.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

So I assume this means that they are screwing this poor woman so they don't have to screw everyone else.

Quite the opposite actually.
If they don't screw this woman, then they can't screw everyone else.

[Aaron]

Well, that's not great but it's just two overlapping government benefits programs (retraining/income vs VA/CPP), isn't it?

Pretty much, the VA income isn't supposed to be reclaimed or deducted from anything due to it being compensation for pain and suffering. Apperently SISIP isn't supposed to reclaim CPP Disablility (forgot to add the disability part before, which was important) settlements either but there's a loophole in there that's allowed it to happen for the last 40 years or so. They are overlapping programs, the law around them was just poorly thought out in the 60's. That'll be terminated even if the class action fails.

It's not like OHIP coming and demanding all of their money back for your health-care treatments over the last 5 years.

Thankfully it's not. They take it immediately and if you've been around a while, you know it's coming.

[Patrick Degan]

I love the call for a boycott. ....Because Wal-Mart will really notice the 5 or 6 people who aren't going to shop there for a few weeks.

In libertarian fantasy-land, powerful corporations fear the public because the public will boycott them the instant they are offended in any way by their conduct.

In reality, they know the public will continue to shop at a place they hate, as long as the prices are low. How many people hate Wal-Mart but still buy their socks there? How many fundies agreed with the call to boycott Disney for owning Miramax, but couldn't say no to their kids who wanted to go to DisneyLand?

—or those who weren't going to miss their NASCAR on ESPN?