Culture Crisis instead of Health Care Crisis

[Brass Balls]

A young physician by the name of Dr. Starner Jones wrote this short two-paragraph letter to the White House to accurately put the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis". It's worth a quick read:


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

[Guest012211-3]

When the Government bans Cigarettes, beer, and pretzels, then I will be on your side, BUT only if they place a heavy tax on junk food/fast food first.

Remember your tax dollars help build roads for drunk drivers, parks where drug dealers dwell, and schools that fail to properly educate.

[lilsmurf]

How's the healthcare in London, Nicole? You lucky ass.

[Guest012211-3]

Ha Ha...well, I guess standing in line and waiting for weeks isn't so bad. I'm entitled to free health care with a student visa! Just don't ask about the dental plan, LOL.

[Boltfan]

Originally Posted by Nicole Preston

When the Government bans Cigarettes, beer, and pretzels, then I will be on your side, BUT only if they place a heavy tax on junk food/fast food first.

Remember your tax dollars help build roads for drunk drivers, parks where drug dealers dwell, and schools that fail to properly educate.

How about the government not be involved at all?

[Chainsaw Anthropologist]

Originally Posted by Nicole Preston

Ha Ha...well, I guess standing in line and waiting for weeks isn't so bad. I'm entitled to free health care with a student visa! Just don't ask about the dental plan, LOL.

Ahh yes British dental care


Over the shoulder

Another Acerbic Scot

[TallTexan2009]

This is a joke! The description of the patient in question is designed to incur the wrath of bigots and Republicans everywhere. Very few sterotypes are left out! Lets wise up and get over this kind of crap! I can't believe that we still respond to these types of racially bigoted Rush Linbaugh blackwashes!

[Guest012211-3]

Originally Posted by Boltfan

How about the government not be involved at all?

So what? You can be in charge?

[Boltfan]

?? In charge of what?

[Boltfan]

Originally Posted by TallTexan2009

This is a joke! The description of the patient in question is designed to incur the wrath of bigots and Republicans everywhere. Very few sterotypes are left out! Lets wise up and get over this kind of crap! I can't believe that we still respond to these types of racially bigoted Rush Linbaugh blackwashes!

So the WHITE woman at the supermarket I saw talking on her iPhone while pulling the foodstamps out of her Ed Hardy purse is because of Rush Limbaugh?

[TexTushHog]

You can buy (or give up) a hell of a lot of pretzels, beer, smokes, and telephones before you can afford health decent health insurance. My employees' premiums are almost $950 and a family premium is over $1500. I pay all the premium, but anyone who can qualify for Medicaid can't pay those sorts of premiums no matter how many "luxuries" on gives up. And last I heard, I didn't know a phone was a luxury.

[Boltfan]

An iPhone sure is a luxury. Average bill for an iPhone user is close to $100 per line. You can get very reliable service with texting for around $50 a month, even less if you are willing to settle for someone like MetroPCS.

The insurance I offer for my employees has a cost of $100 per month. It has a high deductible but covers doctors visits, ER visits, Urgent Care visits and prescriptions for much smaller co-pays. As the average age of my employees is under 30 this covers most all of their needs. The person who goes out of pocket most is actually me. Had to pay for a couple of MRI last year but with the cash discount from the provider it wasn't too bad (4 scans for $1200).

I know quite a few people who can afford that. Not all health insurance has to cost $1000 a month.

[ocho cinco]

I think that the point trying to be made is that the majority of Americans are sick and tired of the government giving lazy people a free ride while those who bust their ass everyday trying to provide for their family are paying the price.

[TallTexan2009]

Originally Posted by ocho cinco

I think that the point trying to be made is that the majority of Americans are sick and tired of the government giving lazy people a free ride while those who bust their ass everyday trying to provide for their family are paying the price.

Now that I can believe! It is just the slanted racial description that burns me up.

As for insurance for a family, there are very few options with premiums less than $1K. If you have any pre-existing conditions you are just out of luck! If you are also unfortunate enough to be unemployed, that would frequently exceed the total of any unemployment you might receive. The bottom line is that working Americans really don't care if the unemployed are covered or not. For some reason the millions of recently unemployed are all there because of their own fault. It will be very enlightening for those who are laid off for the first time and find out that they have few options if any for insurance. We have not had a recession this deep for two generations.

[Guest012211-3]

Who says these people aren't hard working? They could have 2 crap part-time jobs that do not offer health benefits.

The lady with the iPhone could work for a retail shop that offered it at a discount, and the designer bag could have been a fake.