"Breaking Bad" Canadian Style

[kpete]

[DirkGently]

1. Says a lot, doesn't it? n/t

[Ohio Joe]

2. Is there anything Canadians don't ruin...

[aikoaiko]

3. I didn't think it was the cost of treatment that led to Walt's criminal activity.

I thought it was his desire to leave his family in financial good shape.

[snagglepuss]

4. The cost of treatment would leave his family financially ruined.

[hootinholler]

5. I think that was the intial motivation

To pay for care and not be bankrupted.

[stopwastingmymoney]

6. His insurance company wouldn't cover his treatment

I think it was experimental

[tclambert]

7. It was part of it. The best doctor wasn't covered by their insurance plan.

Last edited Sun Sep 29, 2013, 06:33 PM - Edit history (1)

But, in my opinion, he had long festering resentment over losing his share of Gray Matter, Inc. to the Schwartz's.

[JVS]

8. One of the fundamental rules of breaking bad is never use the insurance that you have.

Walt would have coverage. He's a public school teacher. This is a traditionally underpaid group, but they still have insurance.
Hank also had insurance as a DEA agent, but his wife and Walt's wife decided that he needed better care that had to be paid out of pocket.

Of course, Walt's family was barely making ends meet before he got cancer, hence the shitty broken water heater and Skyler getting pissed off at him for using the wrong credit card to buy printer paper. Another episode reveals that Walter chose a bigger house than they could afford.

I want single payer, but I agree with your assessment and think the pic in OP oversimplifies things. Unless Walt had really good life insurance, there is no way that his family wouldn't be broke in the future. Even with single payer, the likelihood of him leaving a family behind that cannot afford to maintain the standard of living is great. Single payer is the right way to do healthcare, but their prospects would be bleak even in that case.

[dairydog91]

9. Canadian Walt isn't narcissistic, manipulative, and filled with a desire for greatness at any cost?

Because Walt could have afforded the best treatment money could buy. Grey Matter offered him a job and full-coverage, and were willing to pay full freight on state-of-the-art treatment. First, Walt needed more than healthcare, since he thought he was going to die with or without treatment. He needed a large amount of cash fast. Second, Walt is a narcissistic and arrogant. He doesn't take "Charity" from anyone, and apparently considers meth-cooking and murder to be superior to having to beg someone for help.