Karl Kesel Sells Silver Age Collection For His Son's Medical Bills

[CBR News]

Fan-favorite comic creator Karl Kesel is selling his collection of Silver Age Marvel Comics to help pay the hospital bills for his newly adopted son, Isaac, who was born with a physical dependence on methadone.


Full article here.

[DebkoX]

Its disgusting how they have to pay.

[XBWillem]

I thought health care existed in the US now?

[Global Honored]

Karl and his wife seem like terrific people. Brave, noble and loving...I think Zack is in the right place with his new parents.
I love Kessel's work and I wish him the best in selling these classic comics to cover the bills.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Despite a naturally uncertain future, this kid having some great folks sounds pretty set in stone.

[Jeff Brady]

I thought health care existed in the US now?

Health care always existed. We just don't have universal health care. And a lot of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act won't take effect until 2014.

[Charles RB]

I thought health care existed in the US now?

More people are able to get insurance coverage now but that wouldn't help in this case: they have insurance.

[Pink Apocalypse]

No, we don't have real health care now. Not even close.

It's unbelievably complicated, but here's a short version. 50 million people (16% of the population) don't have insurance. Depending on what State you're in, what city you're in, and what hospital you're in (laws can vary), not having insurance can get you anything from a long, long wait followed by a medical bill that cripples you financially, to being ignored (dying in a waiting room has been known to happen), or refused helped. Even where it's not supposed to be legal, it happens.

Those that *do* have insurance either get it from a bulk company pool that brings it within the realm of possibly affordable (deducted from your check), or they pay for it privately, which makes it beyond the ability of most (a minor plan can cost you $400 a month). Either way you get it, insurance companies aggressively do everything they can to create and enforce disqualifying conditions. That would seem to make sense to some people (refusing to pay for a heart transplant for a chain-smoker for example), but that's not the practice at all. They routinely deny everything they can as standard practice to increase profit, until the applicant gives up in red tape, or in some cases, dies. There are countless documentaries, essays, and studies.

34 other countries have infant mortality rates better than ours.

[Roquefort Raider]

Truly beautiful people, the Kesels are. Baby Zack is, despite terrible odds, a lucky boy after all.

Now let Mitt Romney explain to the family the evil that socialized medicine is. How it's a sign of greatness
that in most western countries bay Zack would get treated for free, but not in the US.

[drinkblatzbeer]

Truly beautiful people, the Kesels are. Baby Zack is, despite terrible odds, a lucky boy after all.

just end with this. to turn this absolutely awesome story into political rants is not needed, there's plenty of places for people to spout their partisan rhetoric...let's just celebrate kesel for being awesome and if within your means, help out...

[ussescort]

just end with this. to turn this absolutely awesome story into political rants is not needed, there's plenty of places for people to spout their partisan rhetoric...let's just celebrate kesel for being awesome and if within your means, help out...

I agree 100%. Is our system perfect, no, will socialized medicine be, no. What is great is that Issac is now in the home of two caring parents that care so much for his well-being that they are unselfishly selling something they care about to pay for his well-being. That is a lesson of love in and of itself and a lesson I wish more could learn. I hope this story finds a large audience.

[Jason A. Quest]

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.”

- Mark Twain

[FanboyStranger]

God bless the Kesels. I was already a fan of Karl's work, but I've just become a major fan of the man himself.

[Thad]

to turn this absolutely awesome story into political rants is not needed

Yeah guys, one baby out of the thousands born with a drug addiction got help from people who were able to provide it, now move along, nothing to see here; let's not go making people sad by reminding them that there are other babies who need help and aren't getting it. That would be partisan.

My congratulations to the Kesels, who are clearly wonderful people and have done a wonderful thing.

But yeah, call me cynical but I think maybe it IS relevant to consider all the parents raising children with medical needs who have Kesel's heart but not his comic collection.

[Spike-X]

just end with this. to turn this absolutely awesome story into political rants is not needed, there's plenty of places for people to spout their partisan rhetoric...let's just celebrate kesel for being awesome and if within your means, help out...

You mean, if you're worth $400 million dollars, maybe you should think about paying some fucking taxes for once in your worthless life so maybe sick babies can get looked after?

It's not "partisan rhetoric" to suggest that health care for sick infants should be a basic human right in the Greatest Country In The World™, it's simply common fucking decency.