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John Q. Archibald: [after taking over the emergency room] The hospital is under new management now! Free health care for everyone!
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John Q. Archibald: [to Grimes, Monroe, and to the entire crowd cheering for him] I AM NOT GOING TO BURY MY SON! MY SON IS GOING TO BURY ME!
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Denise: [angrily over the phone with John] They are releasing him, now you need to do something! DO YOU HEAR ME! DO SOMETHING!
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John Q. Archibald: [shouting at the Medicaid Official over the counter] My son is dying, and I'm broke. If I don't qualify for Medicare, WHO THE HELL DOES?
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Freddy B: [in their news van] We got sound! Boss! We got sound!
Tuck Lampley: What about picture? We need picture!
Freddy B: Hold on boss, I'm gonna make you famous!
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Lester: [laughing in realization] I get it, you a member of the Slapaho Tribe.
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Mitch: [while handcuffed by John to the radiator in the waiting area of the emergency room] This country man, can't go anywhere without getting' mugged, or murdered or stabbed. Kids killin' their classmates, drivebys, ya know, I won't even go into a post office any more.
Steve Maguire: [sitting in a chair] Shut up, Mitch.
Dr. Turner: [standing in front of them] No, you shut up. I hate the little bastard but he's right. You know how easy it is to get a gun in the country? In five minutes, boom, gun show.
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Denise: [to Rebecca Payne, the hospital administrator, in the hallway of the hospital with Lt. Frank Grimes present] I would tell you what I think of you, but I am a Christian woman.
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Mike Archibald: [to his parents after they dropped him off at school] No goodbyes, you know I don't like goodbyes. See you later!
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John Q. Archibald: [in the waiting area of the emergency room] Who was driving?
Mitch: Huh?
John Q. Archibald: The car. Who was driving?
Mitch: I was. What's that got to do with anything?
John Q. Archibald: Why's your girl all banged up and you're not?
Mitch: What do you call this?
[shows light scratches on arm]
Lester: [laughs]
Mitch: What are you laughing at?
Lester: Somebody get this fool a band-aid. I don't want you to bleed to death.
Mitch: Screw you man. This shit hurts.
Julie Bird: His airbag went off and mine didn't.
John Q. Archibald: What kind of car do you drive?
Mitch: Mercedes 500.
John Q. Archibald: You drive a Mercedes 500? Oh. What year?
Mitch: 1986. It's a classic.
John Q. Archibald: Mercedes didn't make passenger side air-bags til 1988.
Lester: [laughs] *Busted!*
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Max Conlin: [after collecting signatures for his will from the others] So what? Are you just gonna go in there and "off" yourself?
John Q. Archibald: Only one thing is gonna stop me.
Max Conlin: Yeah, and what is that?
John Q. Archibald: [standing up, jokingly] If Mitch is B positive.
Mitch: Oh Hell no. Uh-uh. No way baby.
[Everybody laughs]
John Q. Archibald: See you in the funny papers.
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Lester: [to Mitch] You like to beat on that young girl and everyone here knows it.
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Dr. Turner: [in a debate on healthcare] Shut up. Enough already. I've heard all the bitching and moaning I can stand for one day all right? Look, if you want to regard me as some kind of blood-sucking vampire, then fine, great, I'll be the bad guy.
[points at John, while standing up]
Dr. Turner: but who's holding the fucking gun?
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Lester: [standing on the top step of the courthouse, as John is escorted from the courthouse in the back of an unmarked police car] John... you're my hero.
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Employee Manager: [in his office] Your policy has changed, Mr. Archibald.
John Q. Archibald: [sitting in front of him] Changed to what?
Employee Manager: Yeah, we recently switched carriers from a PPO to a HMO. It's a less expensive policy, but unfortunately, there are some restrictions.
John Q. Archibald: What kind of restrictions?
Employee Manager: Here's how it works: Non-management part-time employees, such as yourself, only qualify for second tier catastrophic coverage.
John Q. Archibald: No, no. I'm not part-time. I'm full-time. It's just slow right now.
Employee Manager: Sure, but your coverage is based on hours worked and like I said, you only qualify for second tier. And that has a maximum payout limit of $20,000.
John Q. Archibald: [shocked] What? Wha- I-I mean-I mean, you guys have been taking money out of my paycheck every week. I've been paying into this policy for years.
Employee Manager: Right. And that's why we're gonna cover you for the full twenty.
John Q. Archibald: You can't be right. I mean, come on. Alright, let me get this straight: You're telling me that you have dropped me from full-time to part-time. You switched carriers. Now you're telling me I'm not fully covered? Even though I got a policy that says I am?
Employee Manager: It doesn't seem right, does it?
John Q. Archibald: No, it doesn't seem right. I mean, my son is sick. If I'm not covered, I've got a serious problem.
Employee Manager: I understand that, uh, but there's nothing I can do. Look, you can file for an appeal.
John Q. Archibald: Yeah?
Employee Manager: [hands John an appeal application] Here you go. That takes about seven working days.
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Rebecca Payne: [in her office] No, no, no. This is an appeal. An appeal is for an already existing claim. What you needed to file was a grievance. You filed the wrong paperwork.
John Q. Archibald: [sitting in front of her] Wait a minute...
Rebecca Payne: You're gonna have to resubmit. It could take up to 30 days.
John Q. Archibald: [turns frustrated] Look, I don't have 30 days.
Rebecca Payne: I know you don't.
John Q. Archibald: And quite frankly, I'm getting sick of the runaround. Now what I need is my son's name...
Rebecca Payne: Mr. Archibald, your account is in access of $30,000. The hospital has been over backwards to help you out.
John Q. Archibald: Is that right?
Rebecca Payne: Yes! It is right. But there's a limit to our generosity. Once and for all, your insurance does not cover this.
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Rebecca Payne: If you give in to this guy, there's gonna be guns in every hospital in the country. What, you think Mr. Archibald's the only one who has a sick child? Have you checked out the HIV ward? There's a whole floor full. People get sick, they die. That's the way it goes. I'm faced with decisions like this every single day.
Chief Gus Monroe: The fact remains, though, that there's a man threatening to kill innocent people because you refuse to help a son.
Rebecca Payne: The fact is that there are 50 million people in this country without medical insurance. If you like to change it, you should call your congressman.
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[after Julie pepper sprays Mitch after his fight with John in the waiting area of the emergency room]
Mitch: YOU STUPID BITCH!
Julie Bird: [kicks Mitch on the side] That's for beating the shit out of me!
Julie Bird: [kicks Mitch again] That is for being an asshole! And this, this is for calling me a bitch!
[she kicks him in the groin]
Lester: [as he and the staff laugh] Oo I felt that one!
Julie Bird: [taking off her blond wig] I'm not gonna be your Barbie any more!
Lester: All that ass and muscles to go with it! Man, I knew damn well that wasn't no blonde!
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[last lines]
Mike Archibald: Dad! Thank you.
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John Q. Archibald: [standing next to him] Just try to stay awake for a minute, son, I need to tell you a few things.
Mike Archibald: [in a containment room inside the emergency room] Okay, Dad.
John Q. Archibald: You always listen to your mother, understand? Do what she tells you to do. She's your best friend. Tell her you love her every day. You're too young for girls right now but there's gonna come a time, and when it does, you treat them like princesses, because that's what they are. When you say you're gonna do something, you do it. Because your word is your bond, son, that's all you have. And money, you make money if you get a chance. Even if you gotta sell out every once in a while, you make as much money as you can. Don't be stupid like your father - everything is so much easier with money, son. Don't smoke. Be kind to people. If somebody chooses you, you stand up, you be a man. And you stay away from the bad things, son. Please, don't be caught up in the bad things - there are so many great things out there for you. I'll never leave you. I'm always with you, right there
[in your heart]
John Q. Archibald: . I love you son.
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Jimmy Palumbo: [Interviewed by Tuck Lampley] I've got to be honest this whole thing sucks, it could've all been avoided incredibly easy, none of this had to happen if John could've been a millionaire or if his last name was Rockefeller, sometimes he doesn't understand what we hold sacred in this country isn't values, its "value" that's important, we've got haves and we've got have not we've got white collar, blue collar and then we've got no collar, inside the hospital we've got "luck surgery" and "out of luck surgery", there's a lot of people out there who don't have two hundred fifty grand in their bill fold, seeing a man like that backing into a corner it seems to me "something" is out of whack not "someone"
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[John locks the emergency door with a few hostages]
Dr. Turner: Mr Archibald... these people have nothing to do with this... You have to let them go... they need treatment
John Q. Archibald: This is a hospital... you're a doctor... Why don't you treat them, start with him
[Turner looks at Lester then looks back at John]
John Q. Archibald: What the matter doctor, you want to see his insurance card first?
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[Turner looking at a gunshot patient]
Dr. Turner: Oh. no, I can't handle this... it's a gunshot. I'm a cardiac surgeon, I'm not an emergency physician
John Q. Archibald: It's like riding a bike, pretend you're getting paid
Dr. Turner: No, this is apple and oranges OK. I can't do this
John Q. Archibald: The man is dying, help him
Dr. Turner: I'd like to, but I...
John Q. Archibald: DO IT!
Dr. Turner: 75mg of Demerol IV... Lidocaine 2% local... let's go, I'll scrub up
John Q Quotes
Extended Reading
