• @Steve
    link
    English
    35
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    Yah. My BS counter is clicking quite a lot with this one.

    You can’t force someone into surgery against their will. No hospital or doctor would do that. It would be a major crime. The surgeon, anesthesiologist, who knows how many others, would go to prison! That kind of crime.
    The company may have coerced her, with threats of lawsuits. But that’s very different. And the article completely avoids any mention of exactly how she was forced to go through with it. If that information was included, it would only make the company look worse. I can’t think of why it would be left out, given the narrative they’re creating here.

    There is a lot missing from this story.
    I’d bet she took a some kind of settlement that included payment and a form of NDA.

    • DessertStorms
      link
      fedilink
      1110 months ago

      The company may have coerced her, with threats

      in other words - forced

      • @Steve
        link
        English
        8
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        No. Force is when there are no threats. The “or else” goes away. There are no other options. It’s only “this is happening”.

        If a toddler is refusing to wear their shoes. Taking away their toys isn’t force. It’s coercion. Force would be, grabbing their leg and putting their shoe on, no matter how much they scream or cry.

        Forcing an adult to do something, is a very extreme action. Reserved exclusively for police, and even they have limits. Even the police can’t force you to have surgery.

          • @Steve
            link
            English
            410 months ago

            Forcing someone, is a massive escalation. It’s often the difference between physical violence and not.
            I hope it never happens to you. It’s a very different kind of experience.

      • @Steve
        link
        English
        810 months ago

        That has no additional information. I’m not saying the story is made up. Just that it leaves out a lot of important details about what exact mechanism was used to “force” her.

        • downpunxx
          link
          fedilink
          510 months ago

          If she’s insured, she would lose her insurance, if her medical care is being provided at no cost from the state through medicare she would lose that, so, they really leave the person no choice. Show up and have this fucking thing removed, or lose any future medical care whatsoever. I mean, it’s still a choice, sure. No one forces anyone to eat or drink either, Steve.

          • @Steve
            link
            English
            4
            edit-2
            10 months ago

            That’s speculation. They seem like reasonable possibilities, but we don’t know because it wasn’t explained.
            At worse, all that is coercion. Well mostly just natural consequences really. Still not force.

            People can absolutely be forced to eat or drink. It’s been done in the past, when inmates go on a hunger strike. Half a dozen people strap them down, force a feeding tube down their throats. If lucky, they’d be sedated first.

            • @FlowVoid@midwest.social
              link
              fedilink
              English
              3
              edit-2
              10 months ago

              They aren’t reasonable possibilities, because Medicare covers everyone over 65 regardless of their medical history and ACA health insurance plans are required to enroll all applicants regardless of age or medical history.

              The latter can raise your premium if you smoke tobacco. That’s literally the only power of “coercion” they have available. All your other choices are off-limits.

                • @Steve
                  link
                  English
                  210 months ago

                  I did miss that.
                  Seems there are fewer reasons for her to give it up.

          • @FlowVoid@midwest.social
            link
            fedilink
            English
            2
            edit-2
            10 months ago

            In the US, you can’t lose your health insurance based on your medical history.

            Pretty much the only way for an individual to lose their health insurance is by leaving their employer, if they have employer-provided insurance.

            Non-employer-provided plans are required to enroll anyone who wants enroll.

      • @FlowVoid@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        510 months ago

        The articles point out the company went bankrupt and her doctors advised her to remove the implant. It says she was willing to pay to keep it, and suggests this could have been avoided if another company could have taken over device maintainance.

        All of which suggests that the device was removed because it could no longer be maintained, despite her willingness to pay.

    • @jon@lemmy.tf
      link
      fedilink
      English
      210 months ago

      Insurance can totally refuse future medical care until the implant is removed, especially if leaving it in poses a serious risk. Perfectly valid way to get her to have it removed without physically forcing someone to undergo surgery.

      • @LastYearsPumpkin@feddit.ch
        link
        fedilink
        English
        210 months ago

        No, they can’t do that. Insurance can’t just randomly decide to change all of their contracts on a whim.

        Insurance companies are shitty, and dealing with them sucks, but there are legal rules they have to follow, and just deciding unilaterally to not cover healthcare isn’t an option for a paying customer.