Conservatives, Liberals, Democrats, Republican.... This is a good explanation from a doctor for everyone of what it means to Texas and Texans for the Governor to reject the Federal money to expand Medicaid (many other governors of Red States have also done so, making a minor political statement at the expense of their people.) The fact that each of us does not see these dying people does not mean they are not there and suffering. If we have compassion for abused animals, how could we not have compassion for the lost and suffering members of our own species? If we are concerned about child abuse, how could we not be concerned with the abuse inflicted on critically ill children, who are not treated? Please read this article. It is eye opening. Here is a short excerpt: There’s a popular myth that the uninsured—in Texas, that’s 25 percent of us—can always get medical care through emergency rooms. Ted Cruz has argued that it is “much cheaper to provide emergency care than it is to expand Medicaid,” and Rick Perry has claimed that Texans prefer the ER system. The myth is based on a 1986 federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which states that hospitals with emergency rooms have to accept and stabilize patients who are in labor or who have an acute medical condition that threatens life or limb. That word “stabilize” is key: Hospital ERs don’t have to treat you. They just have to patch you up to the point where you’re not actively dying. Also, hospitals charge for ER care, and usually send patients to collections when they cannot pay. and more: The Affordable Care Act ... could have been a huge relief. However, Gov. Rick Perry rejected billions of dollars in federal funding to expand Medicaid, funding that should have brought access to more than a million Texans .... Perry’s refusal is catastrophic health policy. For patients, it means that seeking medical care will still require risking bankruptcy, and may lead nowhere. For doctors, the message was not only that our patients’ lives don’t matter, but also that medicine—our old profession, so full of people who genuinely want to help others—will continue to be part of the economic machine that entrenches poverty. When the poor seek our help, they often wind up with crippling debt. Please read. It is a short article from a doctor, someone in the trenches who sees what is going on... not the anecdotal stories of the occasional flagrant abuse of the system, but someone who has a big picture of what actually happens. It is worth the read. alternet.org/i-watched-my-patients-die-treatable-diseases-because-they-were-poor?paging=off
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 05:36:30 +0000
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