That 1,100 people were in line to see a dentist when the Kansas Mission of Mercy opened at 5 a.m. today at the Kansas Coliseum, and that many others had to be turned away, is confirmation of what we argued in our editorial today: The Wichita area has a growing problem with lack of access to dental care that needs attention from our leaders. The plan being considered by the Sedgwick County Commission would help — to attract a few new dentists to town with a advanced education program aimed at low-income patients. But it won’t fix the wider problem of the number of people who are missing work and inviting bigger health trouble by neglecting their teeth and gums.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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23 Comments
When it comes to medical and dental care, the poor of the US have to line up for “charity” like refugees in some third world country.
Maybe the “Doctors Without Borders” can set up a makeshift clinic in a shopping mall somewhere or “Care” can ship us some asprin and shovels and seed corn.
Poor children in the US have it almost as good as in Bulgaria.
Lib…
You are confusing me..are you speaking out against the free dental care being provided?
Or is your objection about people having to stand in line to get free dental care?
Let me guess, you would have them driven in limosines to private offices?
No, Ray, I think the obvious point was that there is inadequate health care resources for poor people. I know our friend ProudLib has mentioned, more than once, the alternative of socialized medicine. I think the problem with that delivery system is that everyone ends up getting inadquate care. Not a solution I like especially.
I am not sure what the answer is for the health care problem. I think it isn’t necessarily a right, but neihter should it be a privilege for the wealthy. Somewhere in between, like it was when I was growing up, is where it ought to be in my view.
Steve..
Makes sense, and logical. My biggest concern, tho, is the part about socialized medicine. Are you familiar with the horrid conditions of socialized medicine in Canada? I have some Canadian friends who regularly travel to the US for health care since it is an abomination in Canada.
Consider, just about anytime the government gets involved in something, the outcome is predictably bad. Look at Social Security. Look at Medicare. FEMA. The list is, sadly, very long. And to socialize all medicine? Think of the horrors….
There was a story on NPR this past week which was about Canadians who routinely come to the U.S. for their health care. One woman featured was going to have to wait 9 months in Canada for a surgery that would restore her ability to walk. She chose to go to a hospital in Seattle and pay the $25K out of her pocket. Providers along the Northern border are trying to get as much Canadian business as they can. Some providers are setting up offices in Canada. Canadian health care sounds to me to be a rationed system that is not working very well at all.
We already have socialized medicine for illegals in this country. The wetbacks get treated at hospitals, skip out on their bills and pass the cost on to mainly White middle class taxpayers. That “cheap labor”, is in reality, very expensive.
Viva La Raza Blanco!!
I think it would be wonderful if we had a president who was able to take on the health care crisis with reasonable policy. That is not going to happen before 2009. Bush will trot out his health care savings accounts, which are all fine and well, but completely inadequate for dealing with the scope of the problem.
Bush believes that healthcare is a problem that can be dealt with via market-driven solutions. Healthcare has always been a heavily regulated market, and I suspect, despite GW’s wishful thinking, it always will be. I for one, do not want my angioplasty done by the lowest bidder, nor can people wait for a sale on open-heart surgery when they require it. I don’t think of myself as being on equal footing with my M.D. when it comes to healthcare knowlege – she knows more than me. There are many reasons why medicine does not operate on a free-market basis.
We in essence are having more of a two-tiered system these days. People will get the care they need to stay alive regardless of their ability to pay for it. Then there is care that is better than the bottom tier for those who can afford it. Is this the way we want it? I don’t think socialized medicine is the answer — as I state above socialized medicine manages to give everyone inadequate care and I don’t see how that is an improvement over our current delivery/rationing system. Managed care is a form of health care rationing, though nobody wants to call it that. The money saved in the provision of less than top-tier care goes to some fairly well off companies.
I don’t know what the answers are, but I would should like to see an honest, reasonable national debate about the problem. Something I won’t see until 2009 — at the earliest.
Steven E.–Regarding major surgery etc., you’re right, the Canadian system is a rationed system. They also don’t allow ANY private medicine, at least that’s what I heard.
But on the other hand, people are getting a lot of routine check-ups that prevent costly procedures later and give the patient better care.
That’s the other side to that coin.
Ray–are you sarcasm-impared?
My point was that EVERYBODY should have access to decent healthcare in this, putatively the richest country in the world.
Instead, we give them catch-as-catch-can charity once in awhile.
First world economy. Third world standard of living.
Thanks, Steven E. You got it right.
Canadians have also become severe hypochondriacs who clog up hospital emergency room at the first sign of cold! I hate Canada!
V.L.R.B!!
And btw, Ray, Social security is a great system that has worked well for something like 70 years. It has tiny fees compared to private investment. It was designed to provide 35-40 percent of one’s income for retirement, up to a limit. (Bill Gates doesn’t get 35 percent of his income. That’s why you only pay on the first 90 thousand of income.)
It has been the most successful program for cutting poverty in this country that we’ve ever had.
Typical neo-marxist drivel from a decrepit “new-dealer”!
V.L.R.B!!
Is health care a government responsiblity, a corporate responsiblity, or our own individual responsibility?
I read about a doctor (in California, I believe) who doesn’t deal with health insurance. He’s a primary care MD who asks for $2,000/year and his patients visit him for whatever care he provides. He limited his patient list to a certain number. I believe it is a win-win situation for him and the patients.
I realize that this does not help the poor as much and it doesn’t insure for major catastrophies, but it does help avoid dealing with insurance and can be affordable for more people than health insurance.
Interesting idea BUT … how about referrals, drugs, etc? $2000 is a lot more than I pay my family DR in a year but is less than the agregate of all costs.
If companies like Delta Dental would work with medical insurance, instead of bring a separate, more expensive piece of most health plans, more people would be receiving proper dental care. Even with our Delta Dental coverage, we spend a ton of money on dental care. I would love to have a flat co-pay for dental, like I do for my medical care. Does such a program exist?
Another idea that might work is one like “Group Health” in Seattle. It is a consumer owned not-for-profit health care agency. They have a lot of family practice folk and specialists, too.
Here’s a link:http://www.ghc.org/about_gh/index.jhtml;jsessionid=HIIK5TCNX102JJCISQ4CHPQ
Ray, I’ve also heard the opposite about Canada’s health care. Canada’s problem may well be because it’s determined by province. Each province chose its own “coverage,” so it isn’t the same throughout the country. I know many who go from the U.S. to Canada for healthcare, and I’ve heard a lot of good things from Canadians who haven’t had those nightmare problems.
I’ve also heard Great Britain’s program is good. Maybe the U.S. should look into it.
Forgot to mention that Canada uses preventive medicine, something most people here don’t bother with. We don’t see a doctor until things get too bad to ignore. Why? Because of the cost maybe?
Yeo…of course. According to Steve, the healthcare problem is 100% GW’s fault, cause, and personal responsibility.
I guess my mind must be playing tricks on me…didn’t Hillary (when she lived in the White House)come up with some kind of health reform package because the existing situation was intolerable?
Nawww..couldn’t have been. Nothing could possibly have been wrong with health care when Clinton was president. But, now that GW is, the whole system is horrid, and it just got that way the day he was inaurgurated.
yep…got it, Steve. Uh huh.
Republicans constantly chide Democrats for not providing answers or fixes to the problems they (the Dems) rant about. When Hillary Clinton presented the health care reform package Ray mentioned, what did the Republicans do? Other than say it wouldn’t work, nothing. Ray, that IS an instance of the pot calling the kettle black. According to what Republicans say, they should’ve come back with their own ideas and programs. Funny, but I haven’t seen anything like that from the current administration or from Congress…both Republican…in the past five years.
The health care problem in the U.S. is not all Bush’s fault, but he sure hasn’t done anything to improve it.
“August 26, 2004, the Census Bureau reported that 45 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2003, up by 1.4 million from 2002 and 5.2 million from 2000. The report states that this increase is ’statistically significant.’”
Clinton hasn’t been president for over five years, so there’s reallyno reason to bring up him or Hillary, except it works as a diversion. Bush IS president. What has HE done about the rising cost of health care and the number of uninsured Americans? (Check out those numbers above again.) Seems to me his answer has been to totally screw up Medicare and Medicaid by cutting, cutting, cutting.
Americans pay the most for health care (those who can afford it) compared to those in other countries around the world, and yet we get the least.
Oh, and by the way, it seems Karl Rove called off counting or announcing the number of uninsured. You won’t be hearing the stats anymore. Seems the numbers were hurting poor Georgie.
You know when I lived in Texas, I knew middle class people who went to Mexico City for major surgery, and they said the care was quite good and not very expensive. I also had a very middle class white friend :) recently go to Mexico to have bariatric surgery done. I also know Canadians, and gays who have moved to Canada, who have no complaints about the system. And we also have some Americans on the boarder who go to Canada for health care.
I dont think we have a monopoly on good health care here in the U.S. Big campaign contributors dont want reform, or for us to know about equal or better systems elsewhere. They just want us to keep paying. Why do you think more is not done for prevention? Who makes money when people dont need a doctor? No one. Follow the money.