How desperate are Americans to receive health care?
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In case you didn’t hear about it, I think this was the most under-reported story of the week.
An unemployed North Carolina man was so desperate that he robbed a bank, just so he could be eligible for obtain free medical care –in jail!
Richard James Verone, a laid-off Coca Cola employee, recently noticed a protrusion in his chest, he says. He also had developed arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Trouble is, he didn’t have any health insurance or money for private care. So he decided to go to a place where every American gets free health care: prison.
Verone walked into a local bank and handed a teller a note reading: “This is a bank robbery. Please give me one dollar.”
One dollar.
Then he told the teller to call the police. He’d sit and wait.
And he did.
Now he’s talking. “First time I’ve ever been in trouble with the law, ” he told reporters. “You know, I’m sort of a logical person, and that was my logic. That’s what I came up with. “
Verone’s been charged with simple larceny. He says he hopes to remain jailed for three years to continue receiving medical treatment.
Trouble is, officials say, the crime for which he is charged brings only about 12 months tops. He may have to rob another bank.
Or maybe President Obama’s health care will kick in by then, if President Palin allows it.