Quote:
Originally Posted by Rathji
I didn't notice a thread about inmate X who had his appendix removed in prison, or Inmate Y who was stitched up after being shanked in the shower, or Inmate Z who had to have facial reconstruction done when he was beaten so badly his face caved in. If your concern is about the taxpayers footing the bill for all medical procedures for inmates, I totally understand, and agree with you. If someone outside of prison would have to pay for it, why wouldn't an inmate?
However, since I didn't see any threads like that, I am guessing the reasoning isn't quite the same as mine is.
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Are those examples really the same though? It's for this particular situation only.
If the inmate, described in the article, was a law-abiding citizen, the cost would be completely his own responsibility. As indicated in the article, insurance wouldn't cover it. Somebody else may have mentioned the "pre-existing condition" aspect, which may or may not be relevent. Now, whether it's "medically necessary" is absolutely open for debate. Of course psychiatrists are going to consider it so, to justify their positions.
In this particular situation, it established a legal precendent.