Ron Paul's Uninsured Staffer Died of Pneumonia

[Fuzz]

As it turns out, Paul was not speaking purely in hypotheticals. Back in 2008, Kent Snyder — Paul's former campaign chairman — died of complications from pneumonia. Like the man in Blitzer's example, the 49-year-old Snyder (pictured) was relatively young and seemingly healthy* when the illness struck. He was also uninsured. When he died on June 26, 2008, two weeks after Paul withdrew his first bid for the presidency, his hospital costs amounted to $400,000. The bill was handed to Snyder's surviving mother (pictured, left), who was incapable of paying. Friends launched a website to solicit donations.

According to the Wall Street Journal's 2008 story on his death, Snyder was more than just a strategic ally: He was the only reason Paul thought he ever had a shot at the presidency in the first place.

http://gawker.com/5840024/ron-pauls-campaign-manager-died-of-pneumonia-penniless-and-uninsured

[yardwork]

1. I remember that. I wonder if whomever wrote that question remembered it.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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here] to review the message board rules.

[LeftinOH]

3. The Ayn Rand solution: Let them die if they can't take care of their own needs,

which is RP (and his son's) entire philosophy. FYI: I had pneumonia last year, but my insurance covered the treatment. Had I been unemployed, the situation might not have ended so well.

[Bandit]

4. It sounds like he got the care but it didn't help...

He must have received something for the $400,000. bill he left. His mother sure got the shaft though. Not only did she lose her son but got a bill for almost a half a million dollars.. ain't America Grand?

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. why is his mom trying to pay off his bill. She shouldn't have to.

[Mariana]

37. She DOESN'T have to.

She probably didn't know that, though. A lot of people don't know that, and the hospitals damn well take advantage! My mom has two friends, both elderly widows, who were conned into paying their deceased adult sons' medical bills. They believed they were legally obligated to pay them, and I have no doubt the hospitals' billing/collections people "helped" them believe that.

[Liberal_in_LA]

42. omg! I hope someone tells her.

[enough]

6. A strange story. The poor man obviously did not die because of lack of medical care.

He died with $400,000 in unpaid hospital bills. Even in this world, that's quite a bit of medical care. His mother was "handed" the bill, though I doubt she is legally responsible to pay personally. His estate certainly is.

This story does not seem to speak to the "let him die" issue, but to the issue of people going bankrupt if they happen to live through their medical care.

[valerief]

11. Maybe if he could afford the insurance, he would have sought medical help sooner

and prevented the pneumonia. Maybe he got the medical care too late.

[Recursion]

23. This is a bad example for that -- pneumonia is a question of hours or even minutes

not days and weeks. Diabetes is a better model for that argument.

[valerief]

30. From the Mayo Clinic

Pneumonia can range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. Pneumonia often is a complication of another condition, such as the flu.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pneumonia/DS00135

[valerief]

28. He obviously did die from lack of medical care. He couldn't afford insurance so

couldn't schedule medical help sooner. He had to wait until it was too late.

[Recursion]

31. He could afford insurance; he had a pre-existing condition and no company would sell to him

Because, whatever it was, it's the kind of condition that results in a healthy young man getting pneumonia and running up $400K in medical bills and they don't want to pay that.

[valerief]

33. No, his sister said he couldn't afford the insurance because of his pre-existing condition. nt

[RedCloud]

7. Way to take care of the sick, "doctor".

[former9thward]

8. No one is responsible for his bill. Why the donations?

Any assets he had at the time of death could have been used to pay the bill. If no assets then no one, mother included, is responsible for the bill.

[Recursion]

21. Because his mother wants to pay the doctors who worked very hard to save her son's life, maybe?

And wants to do so through voluntary donations rather than taxes. I'm just not seeing how this story weighs in on our side of the debate here. Millions of Americans die from pneumonia, even ones with insurance. The man got $400K worth of health care despite not having insurance, and his family are relying on charity to pay it back. It's basically Ron Paul's whole model of health care reimbursement, and in this case it seems to more or less have worked.

[former9thward]

35. I understand that but the doctors will be paid.

The hospital will not be paid.

[oldhippie]

9. Lots of people with insurance die of pneumonia ......

Not sure what the point is here. Seems like he got $400K worth of care and died anyway. Happens a lot.

Why would his mother have to pay his bills?

[valerief]

13. Cold. And limited thinking. nt

[oldhippie]

19. Reality. nt

nt

[valerief]

25. If he could afford the insurance, he may have gotten medical attention sooner and prevented the

pneumonia. Reality + expanded consideration.

[LanternWaste]

20. However, the corollary is "Lots of people with insurance do not die from pneumonia...

However, the corollary being "Lots of people with insurance do not die from pneumonia..."

I imagine that the vast majority of those with efficient, effective and good health insurance receive annual checkups and do not feel financially constrained from scheduling a doctors visit in the instances when they feel something "coming on"

I imagine that like cancer, if not detected early enough, pneumonia can lead to some very nasty conditions...

[Recursion]

22. Jim Henson died of pneumonia. My brother very nearly did

It moves fast and often by the time you seek treatment it's too late. But anyways, the guy got treated. $400,000 worth of treatment, in fact.

[valerief]

26. Lotta good that did. Seems like he didn't get treated soon enough. nt

[valerief]

10. Wow. You'd think at least Ron Paul would pay for his exhorbitantly priced insurance. Or at the least

treat him for nothing.

[Lex]

12. His mother doesn't owe his hospital bill

unless she signed something agreeing to pay for it.

Still it's effed up that he died. But he got treatment at least.

[Fla Dem]

14. Some excellent POV's and strong arguments against

Libertarianism in the comment section of the article.

[jwirr]

15. Seems either Paul did not consider him a neighbor or the guy did

not have a church.

[Fuzz]

17. Yup, didn't work out too well now did it. Of course they would blame the system

for ruining charitable donations.

[Recursion]

24. What do you mean? He got treatment, and neighbors raised the money to pay for it.

I'm not quite getting what point we think this makes; he got treatment and the way Ron Paul wants to pay for things came through in this case.

[valerief]

27. He didn't have the money to get treatment soon enough to prevent pneumonia.

That's the point. If you can't appreciate that, move to the libertarian paradise of Somalia.

[Recursion]

29. If it were something like diabetes I'd agree

But pneumonia is a question of hours, not weeks. He sought treatment when he got symptomatic and was given treatment. His sister said he had a pre-existing condition that kept him from getting insurance; if PPACA had been in effect sooner he could have had insurance, sadly.

[valerief]

32. Walking pneumonia isn't hours. nt

[Recursion]

34. Walking pneumonia also doesn't kill you after $400,000 in treatment

Look, gay male in his 30s dies of pneumonia -- what immediately leaps to your mind? That ain't walking pneumonia.

[jwirr]

36. Was Ron Paul one of those neighbors. Yes, we have benefits for

persons with health care issues here also. But with appropriate health care programs it would not be necessary. In fact here in MN many of these people are covered and friends have the benefits to cover none medical needs.

[RockaFowler]

16. Actual statement from a Reuke on another post:

How about this, you could care less about that man. He's just a political club for you. And you probably giggle while you use it.
Now, consider this cogent point and a fact for you. The man most probably knew, being a staffer, what Paul's views were regarding personal responsibility and that's a reason why he worked for him!


So it was OK that he wasn't offered insurance from Ron Paul. Or how about the bill itself?? I really hate these people.

How exactly does this idiot know that I don't care for this person?? See I have feelings - unlike Repukes. I care that someone died without insurance. It happens everyday and I weep for all of them. No matter what walk of life they may come from.

[Fuzz]

18. CNN Covering story now

[JI7]

38. but Ron Paul thinks they shouldn't have treated him since he wasn't able to pay for it ?

[Recursion]

39. No, he thinks the community should raise the money to pay for the treatment, like they did

The hospital treated him even though he couldn't pay, and the community raised money to help him. It's the libertarian plan working, this time.

[Fuzz]

43. Hospitals still do that occasionally. The Hippocratic oath and all that. The Libertarian position

though is for them NOT to treat him if he can't pay. In this case he obviously couldn't pay as the bill is still not paid.

[Recursion]

44. Actually that's 100% the opposite of what Paul said in the debate

Paul (not the yahoo who yelled from the audience) said he knows poor people need medical care which is why as a physician his way of dealing with that has been providing them medical care, and hopefully recouping the costs through charities.

[JI7]

45. but what if there is no Charity to help them ?

[Lenin and McCarthy]

40. Snyder's mother

"Snyder's surviving mother (pictured, left)".

Anyone ever seen her in the same room as Bob Dylan?

[Renew Deal]

41. Welcome to DU!

:hi: