40% of the people at the clinic in Missouri have not

[malaise]

seen a doctor since 2003.
Seriously American people are way too patient re health care.
One eight year old had never seen a dentist.

Ed Shultz is presenting the stats on GEM$NBC. Shocking!!

Ed's show will be from Kansas today.

KO and his staff raised $1.9M but the facilities cost about $250,000

add., sp.

[eleny]

1. kr

[kestrel91316]

2. I haven't seen a doctor in almost 5 years. Dentist in 10.

I hope I can afford medical insurance once the HCR bill gets passed.

[Cleita]

4. That's a crime. I don't think this bill will be a big help

to people like you who probably fall through the cracks in the middle of what is being offered.

[kestrel91316]

31. I'm probably still in excellent health, but one thing that keeps me from getting a checkup

is the fear of the Dr finding one of those dreaded "pre-existing conditions" that I then couldn't get coverage for. In CA they can't deny insurance if you have pre-existing, but they can exclude coverage for it.

I am waiting for some sort of change in THAT issue, if nothing else.

[malaise]

7. Hard to believe

What exactly is this exceptionism Cheney speaks about?

[tabatha]

12. I have not seen a doctor in 3+ years, and before that 5 years.

The last two doctors I saw three+ years ago for a weird problem did not help, and I have had to fix myself.

As for dentist, saw one 7 years ago, and before that I can't remember it was so long ago.

I try to be preventive.
I have not had the flu in 10 years.

But, in an emergency, I hope I am lucky to get a competent doctor under the insurance I have, which is not that great - only what a small company can afford. For that reason, I do not use the insurance for anything minor because of pre-existing condition nonsense.

[Cleita]

3. ...

:kick: and rec.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. I was a volunteer at the clinic in KC yesterday

One of the patients I worked with was a man in his 60s who had not seen a dentist in 50 years.

[malaise]

13. WTF?

That is unbelievable - you'd expect that in Jamaica not the USA

[bdamomma]

25. oh my, he's probably not the first. so sad this is happening

in what supposed to be the richest nation.

[EC]

28. Did any of the people you saw express wishes for the

health care reform? Did any of them use republican talking points about health care and what would make it better?

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. I didn't have political conversations with any patients

I blogged about it here -> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7191319

[Zodiak]

6. People are taught to suffer in silence

Complaining is thought to be rude.

Just look at the reaction a cadre of DUers have for anyone who complains.

It does not surprise me at all. Personally, I have not been to the dentist in 20 years, but I have paid out of pocket for my spouse to go. Do I complain? No...no one has compassion for anyone any more. All I get for complaining is being called a whiner.

So enjoy the fruits of this attitude....silent, suffering, dying Americans. Makes ya proud to see so much virtue going around!

[gateley]

10. People have been conditioned to feel ashamed if they don't have coverage. As

though they're the slackers. :grr:

[Zodiak]

15. Yes, they have

What a wonderful way to ensure that maximum suffering occurs without hurting the ears of those causing the suffering.

[malaise]

16. Indeed

Unfuggingbelievable

[malaise]

14. It's heartbreaking

but it's also shocking.

[napi21]

8. I want everyone to be able to see a Dr. if they need help, but

between the age of 20 & 60 I saw a Dr. 4 times. Once to get the required blood test for a marriage license, the next 2 times were when I was pregnant, and the last time was at age 60 when I brokie my ankle. I think this must see a Dr. thing is way overblown! For sure if you are sick you should not have to worry about the $$, but that wasn't why I never went. I just never got anything more than a cold or the flu.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Then you had extremely poor prenatal care.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. Standards for pre-natal care were much different 30-40 years ago.

When my wife was first expecting, not quite 30 years ago, we had two visits to the doctor who gave her some general information and told her to come back when labor started. We hardly heard the term 'pre-natal care' - and most of that was in "don't drink, don't smoke".

Of course, part of that may have been because we had no insurance and paid out of pocket for everything, including the hospital bill which was a whopping $5,000. (I think that's the amount they charge for opening the door, these days).

[sinkingfeeling]

22. Uh, my son turns 40 in two months and I saw a doctor throughout my pregnancy. Got all those

supplements and vitamins and also had no health insurance at the time.

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. Not from the Ozarks, are you. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

30. Nope, that was in Ohio. We then lived in FL, Raleigh, NC, AZ, MN, TX, and then AR.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. My son is 31 and we had no insurance when he was born

I had prenatal care. Saw a doctor monthly and weekly at the end of my pregnancy. Paid a sliding scale.

Where I live it was unheard of even 30 years ago for a woman to go through an entire pregnancy without seeing a doctor.

[earthboundmisfit]

11. 8 years without any here. I'm just lucky

Lucky that I come from good strong peasant stock :)

[psychmommy]

18. one of the saddest stories i heard was

a an elementary school age boy died due to prolonged gum infection. the infection poisoned the rest of his body just sad. just for lack of dental care. i had a client who received a serious burn while doing a roofing job. he went to the emergency room was fixed up and sent home with a prescription for an antibiotic. he couldn't afford the prescription ($100) and he couldn't work to earn it. infection set in and he almost lost his arm-for lack of affordable penicillin. this has to change.

[galileoreloaded]

19. What Oral Antibiotic is $100 ??? Not calling BS, but that doesn't add up.

Cipro is only $20.00 at Walmart.

[Berry Cool]

21. Just saw your post. I am on Cipro right now, which I got free through the local supermarket.

I am assuming the case being presented above happened in the days before retailers offered free/discounted antibiotics.

[Berry Cool]

20. This is why you won't hear me complaining about stores filling antibiotic prescriptions for free.

I know they do it not out of the goodness of their hearts but out of the hope that you will spend money in the store while waiting for the prescription to be filled. I know there is a danger in this in that more patients/parents of patients may demand antibiotics for viral infections for which they will do no good, and more doctors may prescribe them just to get such people off their backs, and thus the problem of bacterial antibiotic resistance may grow worse.

But...but...I think it's still a good thing, because a person who desperately needs an antibiotic should not have to die or lose an arm for the lack of ability to afford it. It simply means patients and doctors have to take responsibility not to overuse/overprescribe just because they are free.

I am on antibiotics for an ear infection right now only because they are free. I have been out of work since July. I am on the second antibiotic now and my ears still are not unplugged. All I know is, I want to try all the free antibiotics I can to clear this up before having to resort to the ones that you can't get for free. I was almost prescribed one that would have cost me $275+ out of pocket. I asked if I could not have a free one subbed instead. It was. Now I only wish I felt it were actually doing the job.

[bdamomma]

23. so sad, people are being neglected like this.

thank goodness for the contributions of so many people who actually care about their fellow men and women.

[REP]

26. My insured husband hadn't seen a dentist in 20 years

I know it's bad, but the "# of years since seeing a doctor" figure could be seriously skewed by insured men (not just my husband).

He needed a filling, by the way.

[elehhhhna]

27. This is a contributing reason why cancer diagnosis' are way down, imo.