Letter from a young doc

[$parechange]

Pictured below is a young physician by the name of Dr. Starner Jones. His short two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" insteadof 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

[KYCanuck]

This is interesting, I agree with some of what he says to a point but you can't restrict someone's ability to spend their money on luxuries since doing so would go against everything our freedoms are built upon.

I disagree that this is cultural, we as a people maintain the culture not the White House. The issue here as I see it is simply Health Care for people who either can't or choose not to afford it.

The one thing I find interesting about the Health Care issue in this country is the adamant stand that 'we' do not want to pay for someone elses Health Care but that is exactly what we are doing with Medicaid and Medicare. Everyone is against the social programs that we already pay for. Right now there is no means of collecting from the people who use Medicaid they simply get a free ride so to speak and everyone else shoulders the burden, even if those people are working. The reason for this as I see it is that the only option they have is Private Health Care which is out of reach due to cost. As long as Private Health Care is the only option this issue will never go away.

I'm not saying that this country should simply do a 180 and change to a Government run program, however I believe it should be an option. There should be a two tier system where those that want to or can afford to can purchase private Health insurance which should afford them a select group of doctors and Hospitals and those that need to depend on the government plan pay based on a scale of income and use a network of doctors and hospitals that support that system. This could be the same or different networks depending on the participation of the doctors and hospitals.
Obviously a system like this will not be able to support itself 100% and will need to be suplimented by the government BUT it is much better than being 100% suplimented by the government and the American people as it is today.

The result should be that all these people would have to carry at least the public health insurance and many of them would have to pay at least a portion of their salary towards it as opposed to the nothing that they pay today.

I know many may disagree but I believe this would also put some pressure on the private Insurance to lower price and the providers to lower costs.

It may not be a perfect plan by personally I would prefer to collect something from these people for the care they get rather than the nothing we collect from them today!

[$parechange]

Very good and I agree with you to an extent. My biggest complaint is Pelosi wanting to give everything to Illegals! ILLEGALS, what dosen't she understand about the meaning of that word. If you have paid into a program you are entitled to receive something back. If you sneak across the boarder and never pay a penny in tax, then you deserve exactly what you paid in, NOTHING! Look at what it is costing the US to keep these folks in jail, hospitals, on wellfare and every other thing they ask for and get for free. Anyway you cut it our government is corrupt and needs to be changed.

[KYCanuck]

We just avoided at least one CAGE MATCH!!!!

I agree on the Illegal issue. That has been a huge issue in this country for a long time! A lot of that (By no means all) has to do with the Immigration laws (Process) in this country. Trust me, this is something I know WAY too much about!

[E_]

This is interesting, I agree with some of what he says to a point but you can't restrict someone's ability to spend their money on luxuries since doing so would go against everything our freedoms are built upon.

We darn well need to if someone is on govt assistance.

If you have to be on govt assistance I better not see a new car, a gold toof, or a custom cellphone. That is BS.

They should be subject to inspections on what they are buying and HOW MUCH they are spending. Because some are making too much under the table and getting assistance and living off of us as well. Thus doing better than the guy out there working his arse off not getting assistance and setting a bad example.

Oh yeah and they also need to have DRUG TESTS>

[KYCanuck]

Well E I appreciate what you are saying and I don't disagree but you cannot restrict what they buy with that money, but you can surely hold it back if like you say they don't pass a drug test or.....here is a novel idea, that they don't pay their share of Health Care!!!!

As long as we give them a check (Basically Cash) there is nothing that can be done about it. Any further controls would cost Billions more of our money to administer. It's a catch 22!

[E_]

Well we could do the $ much like the EBT cards for food but where they could only be used for certain items. The technology is there now for that. Its not "their" money. And also if they can afford the other stuff they don't need to be getting it is what I am saying.

[KYCanuck]

Great idea but how do you put the technology in every store in the country to be able to restrict the purchases on these cards. You know as well as I that there are going to be a lot of businesses that cannot and will not invest in that level of technology. Most EBT cards simply go through readers tied to banks or credit card companies and are not tied in with the Point of Sale systems in the stores.

If you do get to this level how do you control the fact that retailers and worse, can now control your buying? Do you want it to get to that? It's probably closer that we would like anyway but......

C'mon, your enough of a Geek to have know this!

[E_]

Have you ever seen someone try to buy ciggarettes with a ebt card? They can't...

It could be like selling alcohol to someone under 21 (its just against the law) or as a lot of states have it will not pay for that item and they have to pay cash...

[katie]

Solution... go back to giving them c-rations just like the military gets out in the field.... do away with cards, vouchers, etc. You have an ID card, you go pick up your chit. Put some of them to work passing out the chit. Get back to the good old days.... why should they be allowed to have anything more or different than our MILITARY?

[$parechange]

Kate you stopped to soon. We pay millions every year to clean up our roads. Here is what I say. Put them to work for the state or fed government and save the taxpayers money. Also have them deliver food, meds and help the older folks that can't get out. They should never get a dime for setting home smokin dope. Also turn in the ones who ask you to sign a card that they ask for a job at your factory and not have any intentions of working. YES we have that.

[E_]

They don't even have to do that in KY now $pare. They just call a number and press 1 for yes they have been job hunting and 2 for no. And they just hit the 1 and keep on goin...

[$parechange]

Holy chit! You mean that you can lay in bed, dial a number, hit y or n and get my tax money. That is Horse chit . That just makes my blood boil!

[re3too]

Simmer down, Jeffie. It's not good for people of your age to git upset!

AND, make the fockers get regular urine tests!

[FasterThanYou]

I get numersous calls each week asking "are you doin any hirin?" I tell them "no". The ONLY response I ever get is "what's you name" I just give them my first name. I've yet to ever have the unemployment office call me.

[$parechange]

Next time Faster tell them yes. Get thier name and tell them to start cleaning the shitters. Pay them $8.00 per hour. If they don't take it turn thier dirty arsses in.

[FasterThanYou]

Next time Faster tell them yes. Get thier name and tell them to start cleaning the shitters. Pay them $8.00 per hour. If they don't take it turn thier dirty arsses in.

Then I wouldn't have anything to do.

I wear many hats as president but thankfully, that's not one of them.