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Clearly she can get 80 bucks from somehwere, and clearly the dentists office would work out a payment program if she couldn't afford it all at once.
Originally posted by wellwhatnow
First we have to assume the the parent(s) of this child did not know that the child would die from this. I brush my teeth very well, still I have had an abscess. It took months for me to get in to see a dentist, I didn't know my life could have been in danger while I waited.
Second, the boy complained of a headache and was taken to the emergency room where he was treated. Although the article doesn't say what medicine he was given, I think it's safe to assume that the medicine would have been an antibiotic. So, the mother didn't just ignore the boy until he dropped over.
Third, it's really hard to understand poverty unless you have been there. Poverty has a way of dehumanizing a person. Homeless shelters are not resorts. Imagine having to ask someone for toilet paper each time you use the restroom. Imagine having to make due with the small bit of toilet paper you are given each time. Imagine what kids say to you when you get on a school bus that stops at a homeless shelter. Imagine how it feels as a parent to watch that. Imagine seeing one of your children in pain and seeking help for him, and being told that you don't qualify.
The other child's tooth that doesn't seem too bad (that you certainly believe will not kill him) simply pales in comparison to getting clean clothes, safe places to sleep, school supplies, food, toilet paper, etc.
Originally posted by Doc Velocity
There's a reason why America's health care system is so expensive. It's because it's the best in the world, the best health care system that has ever existed in the history of humankind. It's the best because medical students here know they can make a lot of money by pursuing the profession, and they work their asses off to become the best in the world, to become worthy of the big bucks.
Originally posted by Johnmike
I pay for my dentistry without insurance.
Cry me a river.
Originally posted by kokoro
We have serious need for healthcare reform in this country.
Originally posted by dirty_underground
These kids had rotten teeth, not only did they have poor healthcare, they had poor hygeine because they were not properly cared for or taught to brush. If I didn't have adequate insurance I would make sure I was doing the necesary steps to prevent the problem. This does not sound like the case here. Sure we all may get cavaties occasionally, but we don't typically have 6 rotting teeth in our mouths.
I must stop here due to all the negative responses I will already recieve from my opinion.
[edit on 2/28/2007 by dirty_underground]
Originally posted by TheBandit795
Yep, some priorities (in healthcare) really have to be set straight in order to solve these problems.
Not only in the U.S., but in lots of other countries.
Originally posted by dirty_underground
These kids had rotten teeth, not only did they have poor healthcare, they had poor hygeine because they were not properly cared for or taught to brush. If I didn't have adequate insurance I would make sure I was doing the necesary steps to prevent the problem. This does not sound like the case here. Sure we all may get cavaties occasionally, but we don't typically have 6 rotting teeth in our mouths.
I must stop here due to all the negative responses I will already recieve from my opinion.
[edit on 2/28/2007 by dirty_underground]
Originally posted by helium3
You can start by asking your local government officials why the US gives soooooooo much money to Israel and could that money be better spent on local healthcare ?
Originally posted by dirty_underground
I am well aware of superbugs.
FYI people have been dying from abscess teeth since before the Middle Ages (long before Superbugs). This due to lack of oral hygeine! ...
www.msnbc.msn.com...
It was on Jan. 11 that Deamonte came home from school complaining of a headache. At Southern Maryland Hospital Center, his mother said, he got medicine for a headache, sinusitis and a dental abscess. But the next day, he was much sicker.
Eventually, he was rushed to Children's Hospital, where he underwent emergency brain surgery. He began to have seizures and had a second operation. The problem tooth was extracted.
After more than two weeks of care at Children's Hospital, ... He seemed to be mending slowly, doing math problems and enjoying visits with his brothers and teachers from his school, the Foundation School in Largo.
His death certificate listed two conditions associated with brain infections: "meningoencephalitis" and "subdural empyema."
Originally posted by TheBandit795
Don't go boasting about something like that. I'm sure that other industrialised countries that have a just as good healthcare system as that of the U.S. I didn't create this thread for "my truck is bigger than yours" posts.
bringing down the standard of health care in this country.
Originally posted by sardion2000
Then why does Canada have the 9th highest Life expectancy in the world?
Originally posted by sardion2000
Please explain why Cuba's life expectancy is only about half a year behind the US?
Originally posted by sardion2000
Explain why the UK is ahead.
Originally posted by sardion2000
Privatized Health Care is more Profitable than Socialized Health Care, but it sure isn't more effective. The numbers speak for themselves.