Health Care Crisis or Culture Crisis

Dr. Starner Jones an his short two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts 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

I'm not sure why it always has to be one thing or another. Honestly, the healthcare situation in America is the result of decades of actions, cultural changes, governmental involvement, and private subsidies/legislation.

I find his letter interesting but not terribly surprising, however. It's common knowledge that there is a serious cultural problem with the culture typically associated with poor urban blacks (although it extends to any race that also subscribes to that culture or grew up in that area).

There is a culture problem, along with a health care problem, and a government problem on my levels. There are practical solutions to these issues, but no one wants to discuss them and those who take the benefit will act like Frenchmen/women who has one of their government protected vacation days take away.

This is not a simple problem, so simple points normally don't work.

Peace
KJ

Originally posted by mileslong54
Dr. Starner Jones an his short two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts 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

edit on 20-5-2011 by mileslong54 because: (no reason given)

Thanks for posting your ridiculous chain letter.

If only we could just flush all of the ridiculous black people clogging up the system down a drain somewhere.

/sarcasm

Really, go post your racist crap elsewhere. You managed to include pretty much every ridiculous stereotype towards African Americans into two short paragraphs, good job.

You've also shown just how completely and utterly ignorant you are of what drives healthcare costs. Let's say we do what you say and drop Medicaid for all of these "moochers". You know what? That won't stop them from going into an Emergency room or seeking medical care, but instead of having Medicaid to pay the doctors, they wont have any money. They'll just walk away from the payments because they cant afford a 7,000 bill (average emergency room visit). This means health insurers and hospitals have to increase costs on those of us who can pay our bills - which further puts the burden on middle class type folks and causes more bankruptcies which causes more people to walk away from bills, and you repeat the process ad nauseum. Starting to see the problem?

Educate yourself. Your blatant and ignorant racism shows.