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From Fox News, Elderly couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide, note says they could not afford medical care:
A Washington state man allegedly killed himself after killing his wife, and left a note for authorities saying that he was driven to do so because they could not afford to pay for medical care for her serious health conditions.
The man, identified by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner Gary Goldfogel in a statement to Fox News as Brian S. Jones, was 77, and his wife, Patricia Whitney-Jones, was 76.
[...] "It's very tragic that one of our senior citizens would find himself in such desperate circumstances where he felt murder and suicide were the only option," [Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo] said. "Help is always available with a call to 9-1-1."
"We do what we can to help them," Elfo added in a telephone interview with Fox News. "We can't solve all their healthcare needs, but we can help them until a better day comes."
Elfo said he has seen people close to him struggle with healthcare issues and get exasperated fighting what can be a bureaucratic system.
"I know it gets very frustrating," the sheriff said, "you can get very easily worn down, and [roadblocks] build up over and over again."
From WSWS (ICFI/SEP), Elderly husband kills wife, then himself, in desperation over skyrocketing healthcare costs:
Police found the notes, which explained what had happened. Jones' wife, Patricia Whitney-Jones, suffered from serious health problems, and the couple could not afford medical care. Jones, an apparent Navy veteran, wrote directions as to how police could contact their next of kin. Police found the couple's two dogs and turned them over to the Humane Society.
The home was not located in a forgotten, impoverished area but in a semi-rural neighborhood near the Cascade Mountains where homes are valued in the $400,000 range. The bottom 90 percent of people in "the richest country in the world" are living under financial hardship that varies only in terms of degree.
[...] [The couple's next-door neighbor, Sherrie Schulteis] further noted:
"But here is the horribleness of this whole thing, less than 6 months ago our across the street neighbor shot himself, a young man with PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder], cops and SWAT all lined our street then too. He was young--in his 50's-- and this guy and the whole block knew and saw him riding his bike, or walking his tiny dog also. He lived directly across from our house and we talked with him everyday as we were outside a lot. We had no idea his PTSD would kick in and he started believing everyone was someone else and he was going to kill everyone."
Also at People and The Lynden Tribune (EU blocked)
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday August 13 2019, @04:27PM (14 children)
This will not improve until universal single payer healthcare is implemented. This will not happen until the GOP is voted out of office in sufficient numbers that the Democrats have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. This will not happen until people use their fucking brains and stop listening to the drooling MAGA morons.
You may not like the Democrats, but I guarantee you that the GOP will not fix this. They will in fact make it worse for you and everyone else except the wealthy.
Look at every other civilized country on the planet to see how it is. Are they perfect? Of course not. At least you don't go bankrupt because you became sick.
Do you want healthcare to improve? Vote Democrat in the next election. You held your nose when you voted for Trump, you can surely do that voting for the 2020 Democrat. Maybe you don't care for Democrat policies in general, but at least you won't have to kill yourself and/or your loved ones to avoid massive medical bills when you grow old.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @06:14PM
Lookit this guy pushing for Sanity 2020, what a shill! Must be a Soros puppet!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by HiThere on Tuesday August 13 2019, @06:21PM
The Republicans will not do it. But it's not at all clear that the Democrats will do anything that cuts out the insurance companies.
BOTH of the major parties are the slaves of their big donors, because the cost of campaigning means that you need to big donors to get elected. Even Teddy Roosevelt and Ross Perot couldn't do it on their own.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @06:37PM (5 children)
For two years at the start of Obamies first term the demoncraps had a filibuster proof majority in both houses and they stuffed around and delayed until they lost it in the midterms. They don't want single-payer any more than the ruthuglicans do.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sjames on Tuesday August 13 2019, @07:04PM
Sadly many don't. That's why Sanders had to be sandbagged.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @07:04PM
Except now the 2018 midterms and current POTUS campaigns are realizing that pandering to the corporate interests is no longer a viable political platform. Careers will be made following the will of the people, and we already have a few politicians showing us the way.
Sadly so many US citizens are terrified of the word "socialist" thinking that people want full blown communism, no more private property, and fully open borders. I have not seen any such nonsense.
Universal Healthcare is a form of socialism. A very good form of socialism. The way forward is Democratic Socialism which means we only socialize the aspects of society that we agree should not be profit driven such as police, fire, medical, and education.
Did you know that most fire fighters are unpaid volunteers?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 13 2019, @11:01PM
Yes, the major difference between the two parties: R can corral their members better.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Wednesday August 14 2019, @06:32PM (1 child)
Actually, the Democrats had the filibuster proof 60 for only about 8 weeks in 2009, from the time that the Franken-Coleman Senate seat was decided until the death of Ted Kennedy. They used that time to pass the ACA. They wanted single payer universal, but they foolishly wanted to give the GOP a say in the legislation. Had they worked together we would have been good, but the GOP goal was obstruction.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 19 2019, @02:13AM
I have a bridge in Boston that I can no longer look after. It is an excellent bridge. Would you like to buy it?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday August 14 2019, @03:12AM (4 children)
Why would voting Democrat improve healthcare? It didn't the last time (Obama). Or the time before that (Clinton).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 14 2019, @03:54AM
Sort of narrows down the possibilities when an electoral solution won't work.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 14 2019, @07:21AM
If the Democrat is a corporatist, the situation won't improve much, if at all. If the Democrat is a progressive willing to fight the status quo like Bernie Sanders, you may see some actual change. Obama was a corporatist, which is why he began negotiations from a position of weakness (a public option instead of single-payer) and even gave up on the public option quickly in the face of some even worse corporatist democrats.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Wednesday August 14 2019, @07:41PM (1 child)
Healthcare is broken. The GOP won't fix it. The Democrats have tried to fix it, but can't because the GOP stands in the way. To fix healthcare, vote for those who want to fix it. Vote out the assholes who won't fix it.
If you truly wish for healthcare to continue on the current course then by all means keep voting GOP. Until they come up with an actual plan to actually improve things I will not vote GOP.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday August 16 2019, @05:15AM
Right. The last time they tried to "fix", we ended up with forced health insurance and a bunch of other crap. That retardness was then blamed on the Republicans.
I think voting for neither is more likely to actually improve things.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Saturday August 17 2019, @03:52PM
Democrats already tried to fix it, had both houses with a super majority and the presidency. All the gave us was a handout to the insurance companies.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam