That Onion Sure Stinks
Emily Guendelsberger doesn't have health insurance, so she will be wholloped with medical bills associated with the surgery she needs to fix her leg, which was broken in last Saturday night's stampede of marauding teens down Broad St.
That Onion Sure Stinks
Ronnie Polaneczky, Daily News Columnist
Emily Guendelsberger doesn't have health insurance, so she will be wholloped with medical bills associated with the surgery she needs to fix her leg, which was broken in last Saturday night's stampede of marauding teens down Broad St.
Guendelsberger is the local arts and entertainment editor for The Onion, the satirical news and entertainment site, and she is not covered under its health-care plan. My colleague Dan Gross asked an Onion spokeswoman if the company would help Guendelsberger with her bills anyway.
Here was the cagey answer.
"We can't divulge any details surrounding the compensation or benefits packages of our employees," Onion spokeswoman Anne Finn told Dan. "We will say that when we heard about the events that transpired, we were shocked and saddened. Our hearts immediately went out to Emily and we wanted to leave the option for people to help her."
Comment removed.- you "excel" o so well, at being a schmuk
— Pluski 
WTF? get a job w/ health benefits if you don't want to pay your own medical bills. Or buy your own health insurance. Kids think they are invincible and purposefully neglect to get themselves covered....then when something happens they expect charity because they work for The Onion?— KingOfPhilly- I feel sorry for this young lady, but a stop-loss health insurance plan could have been purchased by her at a reasonable cost. This young woman choose not to have insurance, why are we, the general public, being solicited for funds to pay her hospital bills? If the libs at this rag are so concerned about her hospital bills, why not take up a collection within their ranks?— junethe4th
- Comment removed.
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- So this girl left the cushy warm blanket of a union at the DN to work for the Onion? The DN is now in bed with the Onion and the City Paper (which survives on prostitution ads). Congrats!— Captain Terrific
- Excello is the man! he he he.— Don Cornelius
- A lot of people are on her case about not purchasing health insurance. Perhaps she really could not afford it. If she pays other bills (like rent and utilities, for instance) it is not necessarily "affordable" just because she has a job. Look how many working adults are trying to get "free" coverage for either themselves and/or their families. Those who get caught for this incident should be made to pay financially, even if it means garnishing whatever "means of support" they (or their families, if they are minors)get or earn.— dee99999
- I really can't get over how selfish and simply nasty some of the people are who post on this site.— phr
- fracture repair: tibia: $30,000 +/- .... fibula $18,000 +/-— Pluski
- Per her blog, her boyfriend, who is not white, got kicked in the head. Maybe he was the target, and she just got in the way.— Jean Valjean
- Typical conservative trash are trolling today. They complain about the government taxing them to death, and that the world would be better off relying on charity. Then, when an actual charity manifests, they whine about "personal responsibility"- and blame the victim. To even imply the Emily could have somehow prevented this by choosing a job with health insurance (as if those jobs are everywhere) is shortsighted and ignorant. At least the scumbags who attacked her had the guts to do in in person, as opposed to hiding behind a keyboard.— The Destroyer
- nobody sober would walk around the neighborhood after dark? what a moronic comment. yes, it's true that insurance probably would have cost her 1-200/mo...and in this case, if it didn't cover pregnancy, that wouldn't be a problem. still, that doesn't mean someone shouldn't reach out to here. I agree that simply blaming the onion seems wrong...if she worked part time it's not surprising. not saying the onion shouldn't do more but too many of the facts are missing from this story to say. and if the bill is $20k, well, that's because we have a completely dysfunctional healthcare system. what would the insurance company pay? $6k? why do cash users get screwed? because only a few cash users pay so they have to pay $20k so the the five other people in the ER that night with gunshot wounds that will never pay a dime can get off free?— dreinterests
- maybe she should say she was a part of the mob so she can be arrested, convicted, put in prison, and receive health care of the state.— crabs mckenzie
When my phone rings here at the Daily News, nine times out of ten the caller begins the conversation with, “Yeah, so what happened was…”.
Because this is Philly, the caller doesn’t say, “My name is Bob” – or Mary – “and I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?” Philadelphians are too direct for that. They just say, “Yeah, so what happened was…”, and then tumble into a tale they think oughta be shared with a wider audience. I love getting these calls (even the ones where it becomes clear, after 30 seconds, where the caller sowed the seeds of his own misery), because they give me chance to connect with fellow citizens in a way that no other job allows. Well, okay, no other job for which I’m remotely qualified.
That’s why my blog is titled “So What Happened Was…”. To me, it’s the quintessentially Philly way of saying, “Once upon a time.” When I hear it, I know a good story is coming. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Ronnie Polaneczky has been an award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1999, offering a front-steps perspective on every aspect of city life, from the sublime to the stupid. In her past life, she was the editor-in-chief of Atlantic City Magazine, associate editor at Philadelphia Magazine and a fulltime freelancer published in Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, MarieClaire and others. She lives with her husband, daughter and various pets in the city's Fairmount section, where she dreams of one day singing The National Anthem at an Eagles game. In addition to her column and blog, you can enjoy Ronnie's musings in podcast form here.
Read more from Ronnie Polaneczky at Earth to Philly, the Daily News blog on anything and everything "Green
Reach Ronnie at polaner@phillynews.com.
