April 29, 2013--The 2400 Diner

"Did you hear the news this morning about Boston?"

We were happily settled in a booth at the 2400 Diner in Fredericksburg, awaiting eggs and grits with some of the best country ham for miles.

"About what? I was busy with e-mail while you were watching."

"That Russian brother who set off a bomb at the Boston Marathon. The one still alive."

"I didn't hear. What happened to him?"

"The report was that he was released from jail and sent to a prison hospital."

"I suppose good for him. Not so good, though, for some of his victims--I think 37--who are still in hospitals undergoing treatment and need extensive rehabilitation."

"That's my point," Rona said, "He's been released and they're still there."

"I just said that." It was early in the morning and until she's had coffee Rona sometimes is not her fully coherent self.

"Sorry. I know. I meant, who's paying his medical bills?" I indicated I wasn't understanding. "Is it Romneycare?" I was still confused about where she was going with this. "As a Massachusetts resident he's required to have medical insurance, right?"

"I suppose so."

"But I bet his insurer isn't liable for his medical bills since he's an accused mass murderer and is in police custody. Which means . . ."

"I get you, that American taxpayers are paying for him."

"Exactly."

"And the sad irony is . . ."

"That many of his victims may have no coverage at all and if they do it's probably capped and they will be bankrupted if they have to pay for prosthetic limbs and months of rehab."

"Exactly. There was a long article about this very thing the other day in the New York Times. How for the thirteen people who lost legs their care will cost a fortune; and, though more than then 10 million dollars have been raised thus far, it will not be enough."

"I assume, right, that some of the hospitals won't charge their full rates or not send victims home prematurely if their insurance is capped?"

"Let's hope so. But, in the meantime, this guy, though he'll never again see the light of day, gets a free ride."

"Yet one more thing wrong with the system. A lot of the injured will now have to depend on public charity to pay their hospital and doctors' bills. Like in Newtown and Aurora"

"As my Aunt Tanna would have said--it's a shonda."

"The real shonda is that to get affordable health care in this country you have to be blown up by terrorists."

Happily our breakfasts arrived.