Doctors Within Borders

Wow.. That was a great comment poggy. You are obviously just as naive and ignorant as Andrea Mitchell regarding this area. This area has great potential and you should thank us for being able to turn your lights on. These are the people who risk their lives under ground to mine the coal our nation uses for energy. Everyone seems to be talking about dependency on foreign oil and how to stop it. We have one of the answers right here in Southwestern Virginia with our natural resources. We are very bright individuals and yes We do VOTE.

Kudos for Newsweek for bringing this type or articles to the limelight. The more people know how others struggle, the more social consciousness is developed and ultimately, we can elect people that really have the political drive to do something for those less fortunate. Back in 1993, Hillary Clinton got crucified for just thinking about changing an obsolete and greedy medical system. 15 years later, things got worse, but no better. Many people wonder.

In 1951 it cost $3.00 to get one of my teeth filled and that was without insurance. It was 6% of my fathers weekly income. In 1985 it cost me $85.00 out of pocket 20% co-payment to have another tooth filled. This amounted to about 20% of my weekly income not figuring in my dental insurance costs. Can anyone explain to me why it costs so much more today even with insurance than it did in the past without any insurence. It seems to me that the middle man (the insurance companies) is the tail that is wagging the dog. They are dictating proceedures, medications, and treatments to doctors by establishing payment allowances and treatment coverage all the while raking in hugh profits. If you don't belive their profitability just follow the money, the insurance industry is the largest holder of capital of any other industry. They have infiltrated our government with lobying and mandated by law in many cases that individuals must pay for insurance. This makes them legalized extorsionists no different than the protection rackets of the past. The medical profession is in their pocket also by using mal-practice insurance costs as an excuse to justify and inflate medical treatment costs. The reality of it is, it's business as usual and we aren't gonna change anything.

America, YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! Its disgusting to see how the so called "greatest nation of the world" DOES NOT take care of its people. Plain unexcusable!

It's time for our government to step up to the plate and give our people universal healthcare. To say we can't afford this is nonsense. We always have enough money to get into wars around the world where we don't belong.

Can you imagine how much good could have come, if we had directed all the money wasted on the presidential campaign to funding health care for our poor and uninsured. Although the promises for a solution are always given during the elections,; our country has yet to see any results. So lets eliminate the middle man and earmark those tax dollars to projects like this instead.

I live in the area where the treatment was given. Although I myself have health insurance and was not required to stand in the long lines on a hot summer day, I did witness some of the people coming to be treated and what they went through. Most were friends and neighbors of mine who through no fault of their own have been reduced by economic situations to this type of treatment. It is sad to see people suffer like this anywhere, but when you live in the greatest and richest country in the world it is just plan stupid.
What has happened both to the government and the people of this great nation? Help 1 day a year is not going to turn this around. Where is the tax dollars that are needed to turn this around?
I was not in the line on that hot summer day waiting on health treatment, but who???s to say I won???t be tomorrow or for that fact you won???t be. Now is the time to become proactive in your life not inactive.
Concerned Southwest Virginia Native

GLK

Dental care has never been a part of Total Health care. Even Medicare does not offer dental care. Being a physician, Teeth and mouth are part of a human body and many diseases may originate from gum and teeth. It is a well known fact that even dental cleaning requires antibiotics started a day before and after in certain patients with heart condition, yet this simple preventive dental care is not part of health insurance.

Though I have Medicare, I do not carry DENTAL CARE INSURANCE.Fortunately, all my teeth are intact,clean with no cavities. A little ounce of dental care since childhood(instilled by my illeterate mother), has saved my teeth and gums.

Dental care insurance is very expensive, but it should be made part of total health care. Every person uses the teeth in daily activity of eating and may induce an infection either in the gum and teeth or infection in the body.

Even if one has dental insurance, prevention is the only way to reduce dental diseases.

Look into the history of these areas and there inbred distrust of the government and you will see more why these people do not have health care.

The one quoted as saying that fillings are bad and they should just pull them is symptomatic of the lack of education that comes about by their independant lifestyle.

You live in the sticks you are not going to have ready access that those of us who live in the modern world take for granted.

Since so many have used this post as an excuse to wail against the War in Iraq as the excuse for not having universal health care, I offer this challenge:

Visit www1.va.gov/homeless and click on the Stand Down link. This is a list of every Stand Down for homeless vets held in the country. These events provide homeless/nearly homeless veterans with medical/dental/vision care, food, clothing, and the chance for human interaction.

Even if you don't support this war, please support our troops. Even if you can't afford to volunteer food or money, you can volunteer your time. These men and women not only need our help, they have earned it.

The problem isn't that we need universal health care. The problem is that we need to get rid of the health insurance that we do have. When no one had insurance (including and especially medicare) then people could afford health care because physicians and hospitals had to anwer directly to the patients. What we have now is an expensive overblown mess because the government and the healthcare providers, trying to make things better, have made things worse.