Posted on 06/16/2010 7:44:21 PM PDT by Gondring
(AP/CBS) Uninsured and too broke to pay for medical care to treat her painful shoulder injury, a Niles, Mich., woman shot herself in the same shoulder and went to the E.R. in hopes of obtaining free medical care.
By law, hospitals must treat emergency patients even if they don't have insurance.
Kathy Myers' troubles started when her 80-lb Golden Lab yanked on his leash during a skirmish with her Chihuahuas. The big dog yanked Myer's shoulder as well, injuring her rotator cuff.
After a month of agonizing pain, the unemployed 41-year-old used her in-laws' gun to take matters into her own hands. She placed icepacks and pillows around her head and neck, and then pulled the trigger, according to Wood TV 8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Myers says she made a rational choice: she had hoped that the doctors who mended her flesh wound would also fix her rotator cuff.
But her plan didn't work out quite the way she had hoped. Last Thursday doctors treated the bullet wound, but instead of fixing her injured shoulder, they gave her some antiinflammatory drugs and sent her home.
Though shooting yourself to get medical care may seem a bit extreme, Myers told reporters at WSBT-TV in South Bend, Ind., that she has no "suicide wish" and that she "wants to live" despite her problems.
And her problems may only be increasing. Besides being in even greater pain, Myers might have to go before a judge to face a charge of firing a weapon within city limits.
Myers, who recently lost her job with an Indiana hazardous-waste removal company, is one of 1.2 million Michigan residents without health insurance.
What is this concept? Personal R.E.S.P.O.N.S.I.B.I.L.I.T.Y?????
Shooting herself was a bit over the top. All she had to do was put on a sombrero and walk into the emergency room smiling and carrying a pinata.
She has a husband and in laws and THEY wouldn't help her but she thinks WE owe her something?!
In a perfect world, she could take a train to the doctor’s office and the government would pay for both with other people’s money (OPM)
OPM tastes great, just like Free Government Cheese!
isn’t she eligible for Medicaid? The system has provided for those without income all along.
isn’t she eligible for Medicaid? The system has provided for those without income all along.
5.56mm
Did you really zot Gondring?
Obviously you missed the point that she is gay.
Her in-laws are her girlfriends parents.
I had no Health Insurance when I started having massive joint pain. I wasn't desperate enough to shoot myself. Instead I contacted the Hospital where the doctor had scheduled my tests and asked them how I could go about paying for them and they told me to come in and discuss it. I did. We set up a payment schedule. They said any operations that were needed they would also do the same. No interest was charged me and I was able to pay it all off in 5 years. But they would have given me longer if I needed. The tests weren't cheap either just one of them was over $9,000.00.
I'll betcha a nickel this woman didn't even try that approach. All the Hospitals in my area have this payment setup. They have people hired especially for such. The people I worked with were very nice and professional. They even offered to help tweak my budget if I wished to in order to be sure the paymenr wasn't too much.
hahaha! what a stupid idea. i dont know where the bullet went but suffice it to say that she could have easily pulverized her rotator cuff beyond repair and made matters infinitely worse. i guarantee you she will still be feeling enduring pain from this GSW 15 years from now.
ya know, it’s funny....my forefathers worked the land, handled livestock, slept on mattresses filled with straw, had no AC in the summer, drank warm water on hot days, and undoubtedly pulled muscles and joints out of whack in the process. and yet, they had virtually no medical care. most assuredly almost all of them had zero medical care. somehow they survived. and not only that, the last thing they would do is shoot themselves to get a doctor to come over for free.
Jeez, Hubby could have stood up like a man and shot her for her.
She doesn’t own the gun. It’s her in laws. Which means she has a husband. Why didn’t they pay for her care?
No
Is that nasty beast at the end of the video her other half?
YEEEE ARKKK!
Her in-laws are her girlfriends parents.
Yup. I missed that. But that doesn't change the fact that there are 3 other people who refused to help her. Why didn't they?
How do you know?
Just click on his name.
His account is still active.
Yeah my bad read that after posting, but as you say there must have been many ways to resolve this but that probably involved using their own money! So they didn’t want any part of it, let the tax paying chump pay for it all, disgusting leeches.
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