Walter White. A character that wouldn’t exist without the failed Healthcare system in the US
Wednesday, 12 Mar 2025
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Didn’t his wealthy friend basically give him a token job which included essentially anything he might need treatment-wise… and then Walt still decided to become a drug kingpin instead…?
This is exactly what you are meant to think when you first start watching the show.
As you continue to watch, it is gradually revealed that the whole paying for his treatment thing was just the trigger and excuse: what really made that character into the monster he became was his insatiable pride.
He’s literally offered the cash for his treatment later … and turns it down.
It isn’t simply the cancer treatment thing that makes him turn to crime, it’s everything else in his life as well which demonstrated he was a person who was not respected or feared – the cancer thing was just the last straw, reminding him that time was running out for him to achieve the prominence and respect he felt was his due. This is at base why he turned down the “charity” offered by his former partners. To accept it would be to accept his lowly position as supplicant and object of pity. He wanted to be respected and feared, not pitied. Crime gave him that: “say my name”.
This doesn’t mean that the health insurance situation in the US isn’t a scandal and disgrace. Just that this show and this character is not necessarily the best example: unlike most people, he did have options and choices.
https://youtube.com/shorts/5I6rrdIDspM?si=SoKQBhV4ILSveQJ9
Did you watch the show dude? Walt had no chance of living, his original goal was to earn money for his wife after he died, not pay for chemo.
His health insurance did cover treatment, it was only when his family pushed for the absolute best that he needed to go out of pocket. Elliot and Page offered to cover it for him, he wanted to make meth though.
Anybody who watched breaking bad and thinks it’s a treatise on the American healthcare system I really feel like is missing the point of the show lmao.
The man was literally offered treatment at no cost. It’s a show about Walter being a proud asshole.
This shows how much the healthcare system is great for the business and for the the new generation (Pinkman). /s
Not really. Walter White became Heisenberg because of his ego. The cancer was just an excuse. He would have found some other excuse.
This take was a funny oversimplification joke when I first saw it when BB first came out, but now people are parroting it unironically.
Walt’s initial cancer diagnosis was incurable and terminal. He couldn’t afford treatment but said even if he could it would only give him a few extra miserable months. Then in the very first season he was essentially freely given access to the best healthcare possible and turned it down because of his ego. I guess in a country with socialized medicine he couldn’t have turned it down, but it’s not like he can blame lack of access on the American system other than allowing him a choice. Finally, his justification was that he wanted to leave money to his family after he died. He even did the math to figure out how much he needed to get his kids through college. He was always going to die no matter what healthcare he had and he was always going to try to make that money.
So people are just gonna gloss over the fact that wanted to cook meth?
His insurance covered treatment but Skyler wanted an out of network physician
There is a foreign language parody where a drug dealer gets a job as a teacher so he can have health insurance.
He was offered healthcare and high pay, he turned it down immediately. The character was out of pure ego and spite because he tanked his own life decades ago out of fear with Gretchen.
Didn’t his friend offer to pay for his treatments and he refused due to his ego?
People who say this didn’t actually watch the show.
When you’re too thick to see the real plot you pick the low hanging fruit.
Don’t be this stupid.
No, that’s not true at all, BUT your post is an excellent example of the US’ failed public education.
Did you only watch the first episode or are you missing the point on purpose?
Breaking Bad Fandom Acknowledge That Walt Admitted He Didn’t Do It For Medical Bills Challenge (more impossible than diving by zero while moving faster than light with a cold fusion reactor)
I legitimately believe people who watch the show and believe this, or believe that Skyler was irrational, are people with terribly bad reading/situational comprehension, and have a worse life because of it
Failed healthcare? Sure but also a failed cartel drug war and meth addiction in the US population.
In trying to save his family he killed or caused to be killed many many others.
But only TV so who really cares?
It’s more than just that. He was even offered money for treatment, but he turned it down because of his ego. There’s many reasons why Walter turned out the way he did and it mostly circles around him being an egotistical asshole. I feel he would even turn down treatment if we had universal healthcare because he already turned down every opportunity he had for it. Breaking Bad is a very complex series, and it doesn’t boil down to the failed system, but the actions of the characters themselves.
Did you watch the show?
Walt only used that as an excuse, he had plenty of chances to leave the drug world, but chose to stay and push harder for it.
Hank on the other hand is a better example. Dude got shot, but needed money from Walt’s drug business to pay his bills. His insurance wasn’t going to cover everything.
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Might still be true in Canada. He can either wait here and die or make enough money to get the treatment in US.
Worth it.
Say my name
In fairness his friend would have paid this treatments. Hes just arrogant and prideful.
Why does he look like a RDR2 character?
Solution? Make more meth and kill the poor addicts. What a hero.
Or with no ‘war on drugs!’
I want to watch this show all over again.
So…with it?
Absofuckinglutely!
Worth it
A character WHO
Kid named finger
This is a played out meme that only works if you have not seen the show
Walter starts making meth to leave his family money after he is dead, initially he does not even want treatment
Insurance and money play a part, but this premise would have worked in Canada too
I am a radiation oncologist. Walter White was diagnosed with Stage III non small cell lung cancer, had insurance through his job, and had chemoradiation therapy paid for by his private insurance. At the time that was the standard of care for Stage III disease.
The show proceeded to say he “needed” surgery for his disease which was not covered by insurance. The data at that time did not support this statement, and we still usually do not operate after chemoradiation except for some select cases. In those cases the surgery is absolutely covered by insurance.
He would have been able to receive standard of care treatment via his insurer provided through his employer.
The character has nothing to do with the health insurance insurance industry.
Jesus Christ AJ you make me wanna cry. It’s a TV show. You got to grow up. You’re not a kid anymore…
I tried to watch breaking bad, got through the first season and into the 2nd.
I can see why people like it. But for me, I just dont really find TV shows about the drug world to be all that interesting.
But I also couldnt get over how fucking sad the entire premise of the show was. Chemistry teacher who gets cancer and is too proud to take help from people who support him, so resorts to cooking meth to make money for his cancer treatments. Thats fucking sad. Makes for great drama, but I honestly didnt buy that a man who is as smart as him would think that was a worthwhile trade-off. But Im sure someone will tell me that his pride was more important to him blah blah blah
Yeah. The bright side.
Did you even watch the show?
im surprised ben shapiro didn’t use this in his arguments that were reaching at best.
Of all the valid avenues to critique US healthcare, picking breaking bad’s plot shows you have no media literacy lmao
Mostly it was revealed that it was Walter White’s pride and ego that got him into the life he had before becoming Heisenberg. It’s his own fault how he became.
Sounds like a win to me.
Man the more people talk about Breaking Bad the more I realize people suck shit at watching Breaking Bad.
Like were you just not paying attention to the part where his insurance was paying for his treatments?
So true