Medicare: Crisis of Culture, or Crisis period

Dr Grump

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Apr 4, 2006
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From the Back of Beyond
A letter from a doctor:

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 pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, 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,
ROGER STARNER JONES, MD
 
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He's got a point about the "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me" culture. That definitely exists to an extent. This culture of moral hazard where bad consequences don't follow bad choices extends beyond Medicaid, and beyond health insurance even.

But I think he's over-emphasizing the role this culture plays in growing health insurance costs. There's more forces at play. It's ridiculous how he waves the magic wand at the end, too.
 
the company or employer should give this, government should require every employer to have their employee a medicare.
 

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