Everyone will agree that health care is expensive- especially for those who don't carry insurance.

But have things gotten so bad that people are willing to be sent to jail in order to see a doctor?

Defendant Tim Alsip says yes.

This Portland, OR defendant decided to have himself rearrested so he could receive free medical care.

Bank employees said the man walked into their storefront last week, walked up to the counter and produced a demand note.  The note indicated that Alsip was "holding them up and that he wanted one dollar".   The teller was a bit confused, but complied.

The man then walked over to a seat in the lobby, sat down, and reportedly made himself comfortable until the authorities arrived.  Deputies said the man was patiently waiting to be taken into custody. He has since been booked into the Clackamas County Jail on robbery charges.  The jailer has not indicated what medical condition Alsip has.

This isn't the first time someone has held up a bank for $1 in order to get arrested.

In June of 2011, 57 year-old Richard Verone held up a North Carolina bank for the same reason.  His crime was carried out in a similar fashion- he walked up to the teller, demanded a dollar, and then sat and waited for police in the bank's lobby.  Officers confirmed he was unarmed.

Verone told reporters that he didn't have a job, had two ruptured disks and a growth in his chest.  He was hopeful a judge would sentence him to serve three years in a state prison.  This, according to the defendant, would allow him to get the medical attention that he needed.

Records show that based on his charges, at most, Verone would serve a year in county jail.  It is not clear how that case turned out, and it's also unclear how things will fare for the man who followed in his footsteps.