Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.
While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer.
And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me".
Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.
Respectfully,
STARNER JONES, MD
24 comments:
AMEN!
This doctor couldn't have stated this any better
the gov makes tax money on the cigarettes, and spends tax money to keep the smokers healthy so they can keep taxing them, its like a cat chasing its tail.
I need to go stealth on this one because the Sidewalk Nazis may be watching. I want to point out why we may NOT need (additional) healthcare reform.
My wife also works in an (Maryland) ER, caring for infants. Since the infant is a child, the care is already covered under the SCHIP program simply by applying to Social Services by the mother should she not have the means to pay on her own. She is not in billing or admin but she is required to inquire of the parent(s) as to whether they need assistance in paying the Hospital for services rendered. The mother's reply was that she did not need assistance and that she simply was NOT going to pay any bill associated with the care. Patient gets full treatment but nobody gets paid because it's too much trouble. This is partially what Obamacare is about.
By forcing citizens to pay ADDITIONAL taxes or fees, the people in the example I cited do not have to put forth the effort to have care providers paid for their services UNDER EXISTING PROGRAMS.
Just look at which stocks rallied after the passage of the Bill -- Pharmaceuticals and Health Care organizations. The reason is that Obama shifts all the additional funding/sales of these organization to those that pay taxes and who are ALREADY subsidizing non-paying patients. If you don't pay, you get fined and/or put in jail. This is not socialism but ordinary Mob rule.
Very, very true. As a health care provider I see many examples of this everyday. This is just an example of the moral decay of America that has occurred over the past two decades. Now, as is typically the case, let the accusations of racism begin.
This patient was probably another one of the abusers using the ER as a doctors office. Instead of having to pay for a regular office visit we have to pay 5 times as much since she went to the ER.
I hate this as much as anyone, but this new health care legislation obviously did not just create this problem. People have been abusing the system as long as there has been a system. But what are the realistic options to fighting it? Can we arrest a mom of 3 for cheating the system and send her kids to the foster system? No chance. Do we lauch meticulous audits into people's finances to see if they are earning money off the books? Of course not that would be racial profiling. Do we make a law that people on assistance can not purchase alcohol or tobacco? No chance either thats infringing on civil liberties. We've backed ourself into a corner we're not getting out of anytime soon.
Rob S
and how much do u charge, doc?
shoud have put them to sleep and cut all the gold out of their mouth to pay for the bills. Take the cell phone and shoes and sell them on ebay!!
Rob if you were cheating the system and not paying your income taxes would they lock you up? If they are caught STEALING they should be punished just as anyone else that steals is punished.
Two Societies.
Do I ever understand this. I had an employee that I had to fill out every few months from the social services a form verifying salary, etc etc blah blah blah in order that her child get free health coverage and I on the other hand am busting my butt working 40 plus hours a week just to help pay for my insurance premium every month. Then when I go into the emergency room for an actual emergency, I have to wait forever because of all the "uninsureds" getting their free health care. Dressed to the nines!
Dear Dr. Jones:
This may have been an "example" of perhaps several people.??? The health care system that my husband came face to face with was broken. He worked very hard and asked no one for anything. However when I left my job to care for our parents we could keep the health care for l8 months ONLY. When we had to get insurance as individuals the premiums were outrageous for me and he had a preexisting condition and was uninsureable. Preexisting was ridiculous. 25 to 30 years prior he had a small sist removed from below his eardrum. This preexisting condition did not stop him working l2 to l4 hours daily in his small business as a commercil fisherman and bait shop. Preexisting condition and the outrageous health care premiums for individuals equals hard working citizens being forsaken in health care. No health care insurance no Health care. The later results was horrific for me and for my husband. He was misdiagnosed with metastatic carcinoma but seven hours biopseys revealed ?? nEUROSURGEON MET WITH US AFTERWARD AND TOLD US IT WAS NOT METASTATIC CARCINOMA BBUT MAY E LYMPHOMA?? cANCER TO ME..... Discharged and 2 months later he fell to the floor from brain bleeds. Oh we were treated in the hospital ER and a few days later admitted to PRMC but he was discharged without knowing what was wrong with him. With proper health care the problem would have been found and my husband wouldnot have been discharged only later to be paralyzed . 1/2 of his body was to be drug along like it was concrete he couldnt speak his gait was gone and he could not longr work on his boat that he loved and lived to do WORK...For 7 1/2 years we watched my husband, children watched their beloved 'Dad" and the grandchildren that charles loved so much and they him...watched him die daily. Asking to please ask the doctors to finish what they started to him. A man who was respected in his county, within the tri county fishermen, in his community, in his family to be stricken down like he had been a worthless citizen. Charles was taken back aboard his board, physically picked up and placed in a special captains seat where he could safely sit and watch the catch brought aboard by his son and mate.. It helped a few days but not for long he was a hard working man and he could not be satisfied watching people work his boats and equipment and not work it correctly. He begged God in his prayers to take him a man that can no longer work for his family should not be allowed life. He cried to god to take him and finish the job the doctors did to him. Almost 8 years later he died in my arms. At 45 I held him in my arms with the misdiagnosis of cancer ...no cancer...but at 53 I held him in my arms again as he died. We were not on medicaid or any other free care. He is a statistic of No Health Care. and because I am alone I too am a statistic. Dr please do not stand in your startched scrubs in your shinned hospital and judge for you may not have all the facts when you judge. YES WE MUST HAVE HEALTH CARE REFORM......
I think your post is on point Joe (and quite smart). Setting aside the constitutional issue (b/c few seem to care about the Fed gov't's usurpation of power since FDR's New Deal), if we view it from the perspective of fairness and incentives, forcing productive people to carry the load for healthcare to the extent that is now required is a bad idea. To phrase the fairness issue in a very basic way, why should I have to work 60-70+ hours per week but foot the bill for those who elect not to work as hard as I do? Your story in my mind, however, goes to incentives. Basically by paying for healthcare for the person you describe, we subsidize all her other decisions. If we pull the funding for healthcare, we create an incentive for her to make better choices - and she can choose as she wishes, but be accountable. As suggested above, she could buy healthcare insurance on a private basis instead of those other things. Good post.
While I know there are individuals abusing the system like the one in the post, I would like to ask that you stop putting all of us UNINSUREDS in the same category.
I do not have health insurance. My job does not offer it. I, too, have prexisting conditions which were diagnosed many years ago. I cannot afford insurance. I make too much money for any type of assistance so I just don't go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to. When I do, I pay CASH. If I need prescriptions, I pay CASH.
Stop making all people who do not have health insurance out to be some sort of criminals! I've seen it over and over here on this blog for the last few weeks.
IF I COULD AFFORD IT, I WOULD HAVE IT! It's not that I don't want it!
I pray every day that nothing serious goes wrong with my health because I know if it does, it will break me.
As far as this healthcare reform bill? I think it has its good parts and I think it has bad parts.
I think it will help SOME and it will hurt SOME. It's not the PLAN they needed to put into place, I will say that.
Anon what exactl is your point , because the doc is charging for his services it's ok to cheat the system provided by taxpayers for truly needy people,it's people like you who put a socialst president in office , Moron!
I think we all realize this is the norm now. But, what can we do. And please don't say "get out and vote". It just doesn't work that way. It's gone on too long now and we can't turn back. So enjoy the monster we have created.
Yep, this post is right on and we will keep on paying for these people, while some of us are working night and day to try to afford the medicines and health care we need. I'm a cancer survivor, need a lot of meds and have to pay for them. And, really, wouldn't be able to live with myself for getting evrything for free. But, when you have money for all the extras and get food, health care and drugs for free, something is very,very wrong.
11:01, very, very sorry for your loss. That's horrible and it's a shame to hear about a good, hard-working man and his family to have to suffer like that. However, I don't think that's what the poster was trying to convey. I would have absolutely no problem with my tax money having gone to help your husband, because he was obviously in dire need. The Dr. in this case did have the information on this patient with the gold teeth. The problem is the money wasted on people like this woman. So many people feel entitled to have nice things. Nobody wants to give up their cell phone or cable bills to put it towards healthcare.
12:58, he is not knocking the uninsured. I'm 25 with no healthcare and I took no offense to this post. Then again, if when I do go for doc, dentist, eye, etc., I pay cash. I'm not looking for a handout. I agree that it is wrong for insurers to deny people because of pre-existing conditions. The problem is that since they can't deny you starting in SEPTEMBER, they will just jack your premiums up so high that you can't afford them. It does nothing to control the costs of health care or insurance. We need to get rid of the waste to get to the root of the problem. That is the point of the post.
DOug wilkerson always post his name because he is a professional of everything and he thinks he will call you out on anything.
He is a know it all.
Why dont you take a cut in pay?
6:51 AM no major ranger moron you are assuming again. dont put words in my mouth. if you don't know what you're talking about, ask someone.
1:26, what an assinine thing to say! Why should this man take a cut in pay when he has earned the position he has by going to college and paying for that? Professionals should earn good money. I'll bet he works long hours standing on his feet and is under a lot of stress and pressure and probably has to put up w/a lot of crap while risking his life trying not to catch diseases from some of his patients.
I'm glad this health care professional posted this. I could not agree more! This is what is wrong w/our country and in society. Too many people are enabled and feel that sense of entitlement! When will people be responsible and accountable for their actions? I am sick of seeing people all tatooed up with expensive hairdos,fake nails, and new name brand clothing on welfare. It is a disgrace! I have to work hard for my salary and I can't afford to go shopping except for essentials and did without for years and wasn't able to go out to eat at restaurants much, etc. Bought clothes at thrift stores and wore what I had in my closet to make sure my children had the things they needed. I'll bet these ungrateful people have run up credit card debt too! And to think someone thought a law should be passed that employers should not be able to do credit checks! What a joke!
why would employers need to do a credit check? background check sure. most people on here i agree with but for a doctor to run his mouth is not professional, even if he is right. hush ur hole, do ur job and collect your huge fees. THAT'S why we need health care reform.
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