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Cattledog

(5,897 posts)
Mon May 6, 2019, 05:21 PM May 2019

Husband kills wife, then himself over medical bills

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The sister of a man who killed his wife and then himself in a San Souci home Wednesday night said he did it because he couldn't stand to see his wife suffer any longer.

Officers found the couple dead in their home on Goltare Drive about 3:30 p.m. when a man called 911 to report that he had shot his wife and was prepared to take his own life.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office won't identify the victims, but family members said John and Gwendolyn Thombleson died in the home. The husband's sister said after the wife had surgery eight months ago, her health began declining rapidly and she developed several health conditions, including dementia.

The medical bills were piling up, and neighbors told News4Jax that John Thombleson had said their insurance was expiring, leaving them no way to pay for the mounting expenses.

According to police, officers sent to the home made numerous attempts to contact the people inside but the attempts were unsuccessful.

Eventually, members of the SWAT team entered the home, finding the man and woman in a bedroom.

The couple were high school sweethearts and had been married 47 years. John Thombleson was retired and Gwendolyn Thombleson worked for the school district.

This was not a domestic dispute, according to the family. They said they tried to help as much as they could during the time when the wife's health was deteriorating.

Family members called this a mercy killing and said that John Thombleson was motivated by his love for his wife.

The neighbor who lives across the street said the last time he spoke with John Thombleson, the conversation was about the couple potentially losing their home because of their mounting medical bills.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/family-husband-kills-wife-then-himself-in-mercy-shooting-?__vfz=rtw_top_pages%3D1033200018770&fbclid=IwAR3W2CetpnGPeajhh5m88Xi3c8ofXFwAf4TF7sHvT0sfzYnz6eY3Kq5nCeo

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Husband kills wife, then himself over medical bills (Original Post) Cattledog May 2019 OP
Just so tragic. Ohiogal May 2019 #1
Oh yes... the rich pharma and heathcare insurance companies just get richer... Raster May 2019 #5
Well said - ditto. iluvtennis May 2019 #26
No sense enid602 May 2019 #2
You have to be 65 to apply for Medicare. KatyaR May 2019 #7
Florida did not expand medicaid. They may have fallen into the gap. LuvLoogie May 2019 #9
It will expire pretty 2naSalit May 2019 #21
47 years enid602 May 2019 #14
My guess he called 911 to report the deaths pazzyanne May 2019 #15
But, all the politicians Scarsdale May 2019 #22
Agree 100%. pazzyanne May 2019 #32
He called 911 so that their bodies would be found. Not to revive his wife. More_Cowbell May 2019 #17
You should read the story lunatica May 2019 #19
good luck calling 921..... AZ8theist May 2019 #27
Medicare not free; has limitations on long term nursing care delisen May 2019 #29
If it doesn't "make sense" to you consider yourself lucky. Merlot May 2019 #34
The unjust, exploitive greed system must end. K & R appalachiablue May 2019 #3
Here we are in 2019 and we still have crap like this. Not to mention the things we are probably not dameatball May 2019 #4
An American horror story. fleabiscuit May 2019 #6
Sad Sherman A1 May 2019 #8
Sad, Tragic Situation. Fight the System, No Justice - No Peace. n/t MarcA May 2019 #10
This is Not that Uncommon McKim May 2019 #11
I fear we are going to see more stories like this. Lady Freedom Returns May 2019 #12
JFC. This should never happen in a country with as much wealth as America. CaptainTruth May 2019 #13
Name another country where this is a common occurence. sinkingfeeling May 2019 #16
This is what makes Trump and Mitch McConnell happy yuiyoshida May 2019 #18
Yup. Mitch is pushing "Medicare for NONE".. AZ8theist May 2019 #28
This is heartbreaking. lunatica May 2019 #20
In the "richest country of the world". We can bomb anyone but this is tragic and revolting. Evolve Dammit May 2019 #23
OMG. This should never happen in a democratic developed country. Honeycombe8 May 2019 #24
What people need to realize.... playaseeker May 2019 #25
NAILED IT! jmbar2 May 2019 #35
Suicides that happen fast and the others that inch along Politicub May 2019 #30
The worst country in the world has the means to provide affordable healthcare. liberalmuse May 2019 #31
I wrote on DU that this was happening almost two years ago. BigmanPigman May 2019 #33
K&R for exposure Blue Owl May 2019 #36

Raster

(20,996 posts)
5. Oh yes... the rich pharma and heathcare insurance companies just get richer...
Mon May 6, 2019, 05:37 PM
May 2019

...and the rest of us get thrown to the wolves. This is especially true with our employer-provided health insurance. Once you lose your job or "get retired" you lose your healthcare, your home, your lives. This is NOT the way in other developed countries, where big pharma and healthcare insurance companies are not allowed to predate upon their citizens, as allowed in the United States, home of carnivore capitalism.

enid602

(8,524 posts)
2. No sense
Mon May 6, 2019, 05:34 PM
May 2019

They couldn’t afford their bills and were runnng out of insurance? Guess they never heard of Medicare. He couldn’t stand to see his wife suffer but shot her? Then called 921 so she could be revived? This doesn’t make a lot of sense.

LuvLoogie

(6,855 posts)
9. Florida did not expand medicaid. They may have fallen into the gap.
Mon May 6, 2019, 05:53 PM
May 2019

I don't get insurance "expiring," though.

pazzyanne

(6,518 posts)
15. My guess he called 911 to report the deaths
Mon May 6, 2019, 06:21 PM
May 2019

so they would be found in a timely manner. He didn't want to wait for family/ friends to find them.

Scarsdale

(9,426 posts)
22. But, all the politicians
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:10 PM
May 2019

say the US has the best healthcare in the world! Nowhere else would a tragedy such as this take place. Desperation is the only word to describe this.

pazzyanne

(6,518 posts)
32. Agree 100%.
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:52 PM
May 2019

The desperation that drove this man is heartbreaking. We can and should do better for our citizens.

More_Cowbell

(2,190 posts)
17. He called 911 so that their bodies would be found. Not to revive his wife.
Mon May 6, 2019, 06:23 PM
May 2019

They were losing the house. His wife, who had dementia, would have suffered more from being taken away from her familiar surroundings.

It's not hard to understand.

lunatica

(53,410 posts)
19. You should read the story
Mon May 6, 2019, 06:56 PM
May 2019

He called 911 to report his wife was dead and that he was killing himself.

delisen

(6,039 posts)
29. Medicare not free; has limitations on long term nursing care
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:48 PM
May 2019

Some states offer medicaid for co payments and such but many of these states require that you have very little assets.

I don't know what Florida offers but in some states you are allowed to keep your house as long as you are alive, but can only have $2000 in a bank account in order to get co-pays and some other expenses like drugs.

Most people can't afford to even keep a house in repair and insured if they only have $2000 in cash assets in the bank

Many caregivers just get very depressed and can't see a way out.

Stuff like this is why I am skeptical of politicians who claim to be for the people but vote to benefit big banks, pharmaceuticals, credit card industry insurance companies.......its gotten old...



Merlot

(9,696 posts)
34. If it doesn't "make sense" to you consider yourself lucky.
Mon May 6, 2019, 08:22 PM
May 2019

Most people recognize how quickly this could become them.

dameatball

(7,380 posts)
4. Here we are in 2019 and we still have crap like this. Not to mention the things we are probably not
Mon May 6, 2019, 05:36 PM
May 2019

hearing about.

McKim

(2,412 posts)
11. This is Not that Uncommon
Mon May 6, 2019, 06:08 PM
May 2019

This murder-suicide among older couples whose money has run out or who are overwhelmed by bills is not that uncommon. There are several each year in Oregon. Our society has refused to take care of one another......then there is the trillions wasted on wars of choice. I support Medicare for All!!!!

yuiyoshida

(41,763 posts)
18. This is what makes Trump and Mitch McConnell happy
Mon May 6, 2019, 06:33 PM
May 2019

The bastards. The Entire Republican party is to blame!

Evolve Dammit

(16,632 posts)
23. In the "richest country of the world". We can bomb anyone but this is tragic and revolting.
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:10 PM
May 2019

And should never happen. #1 cause of bankruptcy. The system needs immediate change. Enough.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
24. OMG. This should never happen in a democratic developed country.
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:20 PM
May 2019

Heartbreaking. I've been in that dark place before. I know the anguish. The feeling (or knowledge) that there's no way out of the situation. You've used all the tools you have. Despair.

It breaks my heart to think about what should have happened: decent health care for a couple who lived and worked in one of the largest democracies in the world.

playaseeker

(59 posts)
25. What people need to realize....
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:22 PM
May 2019

The medical industry in America is set up to take all of your money at some time in your life. So you work hard, pay your bills, pay your taxes, save your money and make it to retirement. Unless you have top shelf insurance (who can afford that), at some point you will have to either a) accept that the treatment you need will not be covered by your insurance or b) give all your hard earned cash to "the doctors".

I have lived in two countries that have socialized medicine and it is a slam dunk. Works great. No insurance claims, no 13 page bills. Every other first world country does it this way, but due to American exceptionalism, we will continue to fight for the right to get totally screwed by the medical industry.

jmbar2

(4,832 posts)
35. NAILED IT!
Mon May 6, 2019, 08:31 PM
May 2019

A few years ago, when I recognized that I was going to have inadequate retirement, according to the 'rules of thumb', I began asking my more affluent friends how much it really cost for them to be retired.

Most of them are by nature frugal - not invested in fancy cars, etc. They were able to live on very little, outside of home expenses. However, they had saved up vast sums of money in case they got seriously ill in the future.

That's when I figured it out. It doesn't matter how much money you save - the medical system IS set up to take everything you save. All of the retirement advice is just to make you save more to give it up to the hedge funds at the end. They are major investors at end-of-life senior housing and nursing homes.

I decided to quit fighting it and retired poor enough to qualify for extended Medicare. If I become disabled, I may or may not qualify for the lowest level of care. I hope that I am cognizant enough to go out on my own steam.

It doesn't matter how much you save. They are waiting to take it all.

Politicub

(12,163 posts)
30. Suicides that happen fast and the others that inch along
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:48 PM
May 2019

This is only one of the medical-cost suicides we hear about, and it's incredibly tragic by itself. I can't help thinking, too, about the slow suicides of people who give up on trying to pay for their expensive, critical meds because of outrageous costs. Those people will never be counted and suffer in silence until their final breath.

It is immoral to prolong the agony of any citizen when a medicine or treatment would alleviate pain or suffering.

Above all, this is heartbreaking... this should never happen to anyone. It makes me angry and sad at the same time, and brings that sick, helpless feeling that I have had so often since 2016.

liberalmuse

(18,670 posts)
31. The worst country in the world has the means to provide affordable healthcare.
Mon May 6, 2019, 07:52 PM
May 2019

But won't so billionaires can loot our public treasury instead. This is unacceptable. Barbaric!

BigmanPigman

(51,432 posts)
33. I wrote on DU that this was happening almost two years ago.
Mon May 6, 2019, 08:03 PM
May 2019

People can not afford the healthcare! I know this is the tip of the iceberg. I am sure the real number of people allowing themselves to die or killing themselves is much higher than this couple. When you have very little or no quality of life and then you can't afford to even live in pain in your own surroundings you do things that you never imagined you were capable of doing. It will get worse...watch.

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