TAW122
Emissary of the right to die.
- Aug 30, 2018
- 6,686
Just saw this on Reddit and just seeing this, let alone the comments and replies boils my blood!! So basically, a poor guy who had a concerned friend ask and check on him to see if he is ok and just because the guy didn't respond immediately, the 'concerned friend' called 911 (emergency services) on him and it resulted in him having to go to the hospital (he couldn't refuse) and then ended up with an ambulance that should never have been there in the first place! I would hope that guy cuts the 'concerned friend' out of his life and never talk to him again. I know I would, but not only that, I would do everything I can (legally) to not have to pay for the ambulance (and or other hospital/medical related bills) because not only was that unjust, it was forced on that person.
It's akin to saying that, "Hey, you don't have a choice to refuse xyz and instead we'll force it on you and then stick you with the bill afterwards, teehee!" If that isn't rage inducing suicidefuel and ragefuel, then I don't know what is.
The OP of the thread, u/tuneuped
Oh and the thread gets even better (I'm being a bit sarcastic here), as some of the replies are just pure rage and suicide fuel along with some stupidity mixed in. Check out this emt guy's response to another poster's question.
u/Kraven_howl0
u/ScottLux
u/Kraven_howl0
u/ScottLux
So then of course, the guy u/emtgreg19 comes in to spew some maybe true/not true garbage.
So then, u/ScottLux responds with:
And u/emtgreg19 says:
And freedom, individual autonomy my ass.
So yeah, as you can see, this is the problem with the healthcare system, especially in the US and the way they handle suspected suicidal people. It's bad enough to already have your rights trampled on and shitted on, then to be slapped with an ambulance, hospital, medical bill is just kicking the person while he/she is down. Absolutely atrocious system and society. Granted this was several years ago, but this shit is still standard practice even in fucking 2020.
Other comments have stated that there is little (or no) safeguards against this kind of (potential) abuse of services. If some malevolent party or individual wants to fuck someone over, it's all too easy and very damaging. Therefore, imho, there should be more checks and balances as well as more rights for the patient/suspected suicidal person (even after the fact if it really is an REAL emergency) to get redress and set things right. However, I don't see that in reality and even so, it's difficult to get (any) justice for the patient.
What are your thoughts on this?
It's akin to saying that, "Hey, you don't have a choice to refuse xyz and instead we'll force it on you and then stick you with the bill afterwards, teehee!" If that isn't rage inducing suicidefuel and ragefuel, then I don't know what is.
The OP of the thread, u/tuneuped
A few weeks ago, I was feeling depressed and a friend called 911 on me out of concern when I didn't respond to a text right away. I refused medical care when they came because it was a mistaken call, but the EMTs (along with police who arrived on scene) said that I had "no choice" but to come with them in the ambulance out of protocol. But I'm now getting voicemails from the ambulance company asking me to call back to give insurance details or set up a payment plan -- what should I do? Is there any way to get it waived?
They don't have any info on me except a name and the phone number -- address was a friend's place at the time that I'm no longer staying at. I currently am unemployed and have no way of paying for this, and I doubt that Medicare will pay for something like "suspected suicide attempt," even if I didn't make the 911 call.
They also didn't do anything to me other than let me sit in the ambulance and check blood pressure at the hospital. It was about a 13 block ride, and all they did was have psych ward ask some questions upon arrival and then let me go.
Oh and the thread gets even better (I'm being a bit sarcastic here), as some of the replies are just pure rage and suicide fuel along with some stupidity mixed in. Check out this emt guy's response to another poster's question.
u/Kraven_howl0
How do you refuse it when police are telling you that you HAVE to do it?
u/ScottLux
If you literally refuse to the point they take you in handcuffs you have a stronger case to make the state pay for it.
u/Kraven_howl0
It's just dumb you'd even have to fight the case. That means people can call in fake suicidal watches, right?
u/ScottLux
Absolutely. If you wanted to screw someone over you could call in a bogus suicidal watch, they would have to pay for it, and you would be immune from civil liability by statute.
So then of course, the guy u/emtgreg19 comes in to spew some maybe true/not true garbage.
This is false. Second and third party reports are not the deciding factor. The person in question has to admit suicidal ideations, have injuries consistent with self harm, or openly display behavior that suggests suicidal or homicidal thoughts.
So then, u/ScottLux responds with:
I've had a hard enough time getting paramedics/police to allow me to sign letters refusing ambulance delivery from a simple accident scene where I had very minor injuries (I ultimately took a cab to my primary care doctor instead), let alone a situation where I was suspected of being a threat to commit violence.
No matter how the person is responding the police are almost certainly going to take the callers' word as gospel and take the person in as they'd be afraid of the infinitesimal chance they let someone go only for that person to commit some major crime like a Columbine HS situation and they get blamed for not stopping it.
And u/emtgreg19 says:
Again. This is false. One of the greatest things about this country is individual autonomy. A person has the right to make their own decisions, even if they are stupid ones as long as they have mental capacity and are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If the police took every persons word as "gospel" as you put it, there would be ALOT more people in jail/prison. Believe it or not, people don't always tell the truth. A person who is having claims made against/about them have the right to tell their "side" of the story, and then a decision is made. One can not just go around telling unsubstantiated stories to the police/public safety about others and expect the person to be taken away based on word of mouth only. Period.
And freedom, individual autonomy my ass.
So yeah, as you can see, this is the problem with the healthcare system, especially in the US and the way they handle suspected suicidal people. It's bad enough to already have your rights trampled on and shitted on, then to be slapped with an ambulance, hospital, medical bill is just kicking the person while he/she is down. Absolutely atrocious system and society. Granted this was several years ago, but this shit is still standard practice even in fucking 2020.
Other comments have stated that there is little (or no) safeguards against this kind of (potential) abuse of services. If some malevolent party or individual wants to fuck someone over, it's all too easy and very damaging. Therefore, imho, there should be more checks and balances as well as more rights for the patient/suspected suicidal person (even after the fact if it really is an REAL emergency) to get redress and set things right. However, I don't see that in reality and even so, it's difficult to get (any) justice for the patient.
What are your thoughts on this?