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Man's Finger Bitten Off At Health Care Rally

Posted by samzenpus on from the Obama's-finger-reattachment-panel dept.

A 65-year-old anti-health care reform protester had his finger bitten off during a fight with a pro-health care reform protester. Around 100 protesters were holding a health care reform rally when a group of anti-reform folks gathered on the opposite side of the street. A witness says a man walked through the anti-reform group to get to the pro-reform side when he got into an altercation with the 65-year-old. It's good that we can have this debate in a calm, adult manner before we start biting off digits.

23 comments

  1. The problem with protest rallies by oldspewey · · Score: 1

    The problem with protest rallies is that they are primarily attended by brainwashed slogan-chanting fools with absolutely no ability to grasp the nuances of the topic at hand.

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
    1. Re:The problem with protest rallies by Bob-taro · · Score: 1

      The problem with protest rallies is that they are primarily attended by brainwashed slogan-chanting fools with absolutely no ability to grasp the nuances of the topic at hand.

      That is an unfair generalization. It may be that every person but one at this event were reasonable, intelligent, "nuance-aware" people engaging in their right to peaceably assemble.

      --
      Prov 9:8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.
  2. Luckily... by kjd · · Score: 1

    ...he qualifies for Medicare.

    1. Re:Luckily... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I didn't earn it, I don't need it, but if they miss one payment I'll raise hell!"

    2. Re:Luckily... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...he qualifies for Medicare.

      Isn't it great to see somebody getting government healthcare while protesting government involvement in healthcare?

    3. Re:Luckily... by El+Royo · · Score: 1

      Let me fix that for you: He is -required- to use Medicare. Once you hit Medicare you are forced into the system, like it or not. Checking the Medicare Wikipedia page didn't exactly clear anything up for me, but it seems like there may be additional insurance options with it, but no getting out of it.

      --
      Author of Enyo: Up and Running from O'Reilly Media
    4. Re:Luckily... by psm321 · · Score: 1

      Citation please?

    5. Re:Luckily... by El+Royo · · Score: 1

      Murky but this post seems to confirm you -cannot- opt out of Medicare part A: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081205170432AAZmufJ

      --
      Author of Enyo: Up and Running from O'Reilly Media
    6. Re:Luckily... by psm321 · · Score: 1

      That's a guy that wants to get out of paying the taxes in return for giving up Medicare benefits. I thought you were saying that people are forced to use Medicare's services, which I doubt is the case. It's like public schools... you have to pay taxes to support them but you can choose to send your child to a private school, nobody is forcing you to send them to the public school.

    7. Re:Luckily... by El+Royo · · Score: 1

      Best I could find. According to my father-in-law (yes, anecdotal) he cannot get fee-for-service. The doctors cannot (he says) take fee-for-service from medicare patients. Apropos of government run programs, doctors taking medicare say they cannot rely on when the government will actually pay them for the services performed.

      Another story: My pharmacist says that medicare drug coverage specifies his -profit- on medicare prescriptions. He loses money on every one he fills when he factors in the labels, his time to fill, the paper bag, the cash register receipt and all that. Unlike CVS and others he doesn't make it back on all the other (high margin) products people can buy while in the store.

      --
      Author of Enyo: Up and Running from O'Reilly Media
    8. Re:Luckily... by psm321 · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, but I sincerely doubt the no fee-for-service thing... unless you can find a solid reference :)

      And if your pharmacist loses money on filling medicare prescriptions, why does he fill them? Sounds like someone who's actually making money off of it but just not as much as he wants.

    9. Re:Luckily... by El+Royo · · Score: 1

      Well, this is devolving into a private conversation. The pharmacist takes the medicare because he wants to be a neighborhood pharmacy. Turning away customers would turn people away from his store. Those people do occasionally buy cold medicines and other items from him so it's best to keep them as customers.

      --
      Author of Enyo: Up and Running from O'Reilly Media
  3. If only criminals had teeth by frederickroyceperez · · Score: 1

    If only criminals had teeth then fingers would be toothless

  4. Doesn't that... by FlickieStrife · · Score: 0

    I may be wrong, but i think getitng your finget bitten off at a HEALTH CARE rally is against some kind of sanitation regulation. The irony is priceless.

  5. Anti-reform? Bias much? by MrLogic17 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The rally was about Obama's version of health care reform. Many people are opposed to THIS plan, yet still want a number of reforms.

    There have been several Republican bills submitted on health care reform, but without the votes in the House or Senate, it's purely a symbolic gesture.

    1. Re:Anti-reform? Bias much? by cstepan · · Score: 2, Informative

      If anyone can tell me what's in THIS plan, I'll give them a cookie.

      Right now, I don't know what the hell we're all arguing about. I work in the healthcare field (I can tell you some stories about how absolutely monstrous the insurance companies are), have been paying close attention to this "debate", and I don't know what THIS plan or THAT plan contains. There's been some talk about a public option (which I hear is tantamount to replacing Congress with the Politburo) that's in some versions of the bill and not in others. And apparently a modest proposal to kill all the old people and Stephen Hawking. But other than that, it's all a big blur.

      So please enlighten us on what sort of meaningful reforms the Republicans have proposed. Other than their courageous stance against eugenics.

    2. Re:Anti-reform? Bias much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      It's all about the Death Panels. Obama is pro-death panel. From what I've heard, in fact, he supports liquefying old people to feed intravenously to our young.

  6. Awesome by Bitch-Face+Jones · · Score: 1

    did he fall into The Cracks of Doom afterwards?

    1. Re:Awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This made me laugh.

      Amazing comment :)

  7. I'll go ahead and say the obvious, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hope his health insurance will cover that.