Michigan Man Allegedly Robbed Bank to Pay for Daughter’s Chemo

[Judi Lynn]

Source: ABC News

Michigan Man Allegedly Robbed Bank to Pay for Daughter’s Chemo

Breanna Edwards
6 hrs ago

A Michigan man who robbed a local credit union reportedly did so in a desperate attempt to help pay for his daughter’s chemotherapy, according to authorities, ABC News reports.

Brian Randolph, 23, is accused of entering the Vibe Credit Union in South Lyon earlier this month, and passing a note demanding money. The note said that he had a gun hidden in his clothes, but Randolph reportedly never showed a firearm and, according to the authorities, did not actually have a gun with him.

The young father has been charged with armed robbery. His bond was set at $500,000.

According to ABC News, Randolph’s troubles began when his insurance company reportedly stopped paying for his daughter’s chemotherapy treatment. Brialynn, who is one, has retinoblastoma, a cancer that forms in the eye, and needs treatment, that costs thousands of dollars, every four weeks, the site notes.


Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/michigan-man-allegedly-robbed-bank-to-pay-for-daughter%e2%80%99s-chemo/ar-BBm9UD5?ocid=u142dhp

[jtuck004]

1. Yes, your honor, I did deliberate. Didn't find that confession credible. Have a nice day. n/t

[femmocrat]

2. That is terrible that this man had to resort to crime for medical bills.

WTF is wrong with this country! Isn't there help for children like his daughter?

[Lucky Luciano]

4. Should have become a meth cook instead like Walter. nt

[femmocrat]

6. Yes, I thought of "Breaking Bad" too.

They both turned to crime to cover medical bills.

[Lucky Luciano]

7. .

[Unknown Beatle]

3. Republicans don't give a shit about this little girl.

They don't give a shit about anyone, not even their constituents. They only care about their rich donors. They would rather give any money that supports medical patients to their rich donors via tax cuts.

Republicans and insurance companies are the most vile, evil, racist, and greedy psychopaths to inhabit this earth.

[cer7711]

8. Yep! Sadly.

Love those bottom four rocker gifs, BTW.

Coolest I've seen on DU so far.

[Unknown Beatle]

21. Thanks.

I really appreciate the compliment.

[smirkymonkey]

36. +1000

I say let him go and make him a hero.

[MNBrewer]

5. That is truly awful

[Indydem]

9. Journalism is dead.

I had to make three jumps to get to the original story that didn't have one iota of facts to support or refute the claims made by a criminal.

Just an accusation.

This may turn out to be true. Not sure how unless they quit making payments on their insurance. The ACA should protect them.

[rusty quoin]

10. "The ACA should protect them."

Those were my thoughts. The insurance companies can no longer screw people like they use to. Am I missing something?

[Doctor_J]

16. yes

You're missing something.

[Jim Lane]

23. What you're missing

You write, "The insurance companies can no longer screw people like they use to."

Well, yes and no. Some of the ways that they used to screw people are now prohibited. Other methods, however, are alive and well. I learned this through personal experience.

In late 2014, I went on the exchanges to compare policies for 2015, and found one from Blue Cross Blue Shield that looked better than what was offered by my previous carrier. So I switched.

To my surprise, however, BCBS refused to cover a drug that was first prescribed for me more than ten years ago, which my previous carrier had paid for without a murmur. My doctor responded by explaining why I need the drug. BCBS was unmoved. It has demanded information that can't be produced unless I go off the drug for several months, so that I descend again into the bad condition I was in before I started on it. Only by doing that could I satisfy an insurance company bean counter's unreasonable demands. The judgment of the doctor who's been treating me since 2002 isn't good enough.

I haven't read any of the articles about the bank robber case. He might be a scammer. It's also quite possible, though, that in his daughter's case, as in mine, an insurance company has unreasonably refused to cover a treatment that the insured's doctor has said is medically necessary.

One solution would be to require companies to cover whatever the doctor orders. That could, however, lead to abuse. As long as we have a system that's based on providing health care but with big for-profit companies as gatekeepers, the rules will balance patient needs against the profit motive.

Within the context of a primary role for the for-profit corporations, I don't know of any good solution that would prevent them from screwing people. The only solution is single payer.

[harun]

30. Insurance is not Health Care. And they have new and improved ways to screw you.

The one that just got me was the medically necessary provision. Denying payment.

While at times it makes sense they will exploit this more and more. I mean technically one could argue anesthesia isn't medically necessary either, it just helps "comfort" the patient.

We need Dem candidates rallying around a public option. Not happening though.

[drm604]

14. It appears there may have been a paperwork problem.

If you look at the video at the abc link: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/accused-bank-robber-stole-daughters-chemotherapy-treatment/story?id=33330902

around 00:18 - 00:20 it briefly shows the denial letter from the insurance company. You can stop the video and read parts of the letter (some of it is off-screen) it appears that they failed to provide paperwork that the insurance company required. This may have been the parents fault or it may have been an insurance company screw-up.

At this link: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/michigan-man-allegedly-robbed-bank-to-pay-for-daughter%E2%80%99s-chemo/ar-BBm9UD5?ocid=u142dhp

the last paragraph says:

"I guess it was desperation. Time was ticking right before her actual appointment came up," Brialynn’s mother, Asia Dupree told WXYZ-TV. “This was after the insurance was cancelled…[We] kept calling. No answer. Voicemails. No answer. No callbacks.”

This sounds very familiar to me. I nearly ran out of a critical medicine once because the insurance company didn't know their ass from a hole in the wall. Every time I called to see where the claim stood I got a new person and it was like the whole process was started over again. I kept getting different answers and different instructions every time I called. If my employer didn't provide the services of a company that provides trained medical advocates who understand insurance and are able to bypass the insurance companies' low-level customer support people I probably would have either ran out of medicine or had to put a large amount on a credit card.

The parents may have been at fault here, but it's just as possible that this was the fault of the insurance company. The statement that "We kept calling. No answer. Voicemails. No answer. No callbacks." sounds like they were trying to straighten it out. It sounds just like what I went through.

[dflprincess]

20. See post #9

But even without the screw-ups like that many people can't afford the large out of pockets they have to go with in order to afford the premiums.

Requiring that you buy insurance does not guarantee that you will have access to care. Sure, preventive and screening tests are covered - but why bother with the screening if you can't pay for the follow up?

[Dragonfli]

11. Thank Gawd he was insured, insurance is the important thing, it is important

that we are all INSURED. All that matters is insurance, the rest is unimportant.
After all, for profit Corporate middle men always take care of us, our health is in the best possible hands.

[OnyxCollie]

12. +1. nt

[Doctor_J]

18. Thanks to the profit protection and middleman multiplication act, we're all

valued customers, like Brian. Maybe he should have gotten a bronze plan instead of a lead plan.

[PSPS]

13. If true, demand a jury trial. This is what jury nullification is for.

[Doctor_J]

15. American exceptionalism

Big Insurance is your friend. Thanks to heritage care, Mr Randolph can probably get a lawyer to read the fine print on his policy and, in five years or so, get them to pay. Of course he'll be in prison and brialynn will be dead, but whatever. He should have shopped around for a better plan. Unless he's on an employer plan, in which case option a is his best bet.

Guess what folks. Only one candidate for president wants to take insurance companies out of the government. You should consider voting for him

[world wide wally]

19. Lol... I just saw your lead in as mine posted

gmta

[world wide wally]

17. American exceptionalism

[flamingdem]

22. Wow, this says it all

What an embarrassment, Europeans must laugh at us when these things happen. And Canadians.

[progressoid]

24. USA! USA! USA!

[840high]

25. Possibly more to this..

But when the man was caught two days later, authorities say they found some items that may contradict that claim — the car he was driving had a Gucci bag, several high-end clothing items and a pair of shoes, most of which were newly purchased, said Lt. Chris Sovik of the South Lyon Police Department.

from Lansing Journal

[Nye Bevan]

35. Hmmmmmmm........... (nt)

[davidpdx]

27. That reminds me of this........

[Judi Lynn]

28. Thanks for posting the trailer. Haven't seen it. It looks very worthwhile. n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

31. sad

[romanic]

32. It really has come to this hasn't it?

So sad, make me ashamed to even be American with this crap insurance industry he have to serve its masters instead of the people under said insurance.

[Dont call me Shirley]

33. Randolph family....

I am so sorry the uber-rich of this country are so fucked up and greedy that they won't pay for the cancers that they cause.

[Nye Bevan]

34. Not to condone this, but you won't see stories like this in the UK and Canada,

where the whole concept of "paying for chemo" is an alien one, as it should be.

I suspect that this case will end up with a fairly generous plea-bargain, which he will probably accept as opposed to relying on jury nullification.