For those of you who missed the original "Dr. Douchebag thread" with the "Dr. Roger Starnes Jones" meme, you can find it here:
http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9136853&mesg_id=9136853 In his letter to the Clarion Ledger on 9/06/2009, Dr. Roger Starner Jones criticizes one of his emergency room patients for spending money on “luxuries and vices” while “refusing to take care of one's self”. Like most right-wing causes du-jour, Jones’ letter has made the rounds of e-mail forwards and social networking posts. It is evident that a lot of people echo Jones’ sentiments, but Starnes and his followers are wrong. And here’s why: each of Dr. Jones' judgments of his patient are based solely on appearances rather than facts, and he fails to ask some very important questions.
Dr. Jones criticizes his patient for “using a new cellular telephone”. What kind of asinine criticism is that? Phone service is one of the most basic necessities for a person to have, and (big shocker!!1!!) many low income people choose to have cellular service over traditional landlines. I guess the good doctor is unfamiliar with “pay as you go” phone plans that do not require a monthly contract like landline phones. He further criticizes his patient for wearing “a very expensive brand of tennis shoes”. Has Dr. Jones been made aware of knockoffs, factory outlets, etc. One can buy last year’s “expensive” clothing at tremendous discount. He also criticizes his patient for having “an expensive gold tooth,” is he saying that he would rather have his patient be toothless than to have a prosthetic tooth?
I wonder how much Dr. Jones actually talked with this patient and how many of his judgments he simply made on outward appearances. For example, did he ask his patient about her employment history, and what her finances were like when she got the “expensive” clothing and tattoos? Did he ask if the patient herself paid for the clothing or tattoos, or if they were gifts? He didn’t say so in the letter, so we can assume the answer is “no”. Many Americans who work part-time jobs are not offered health insurance by their employers, and don’t make enough money to afford private health insurance on their own, no matter how responsible they are in their choices.
Did he ask his patient if she lived in an area with convenient access to a grocery store, or had facilities with which to prepare meals at home? He didn’t say so in his letter, so we can assume the answer is “no”. Many urban residents are plagued by the fact that grocery stores are adopting the “big box” model and are relocating to the suburbs where space is al less of a premium. Residents of these areas who lack cars or the time to shop outside their communities find that their only options for food are fast-food restaurants. And, pound for pound, junk food is cheaper than healthy food.
Finally, did Dr. Jones make any suggestions or recommendations to his patient? Did he offer her any of the advice concerning priorities and her unhealthy lifestyle that he discussed in his letter to the Clarion Ledger? He didn’t mention that in his letter. Perhaps the real "cultural crisis" concerning healthcare is doctors who are disengaged from their patients and communities. Does Dr. Jones like the community he serves? Does he respect his patients confidence, dignity, and privacy?
What kind of doctor speaks so judgmentally of his own patients, anyway? Is this the same “bedside manner” that all of Dr. Jones’ patients can expect to receive? If I walk wearing an Armani suit, will I be accused White Collar crime? If I walk in wearing a sombrero, will I have to show the good doctor my citizenship papers? The “welfare queen” meme is just a stereotype and doesn’t hold water in these times of unemployment approaching 10%, and when 40 million Americans don’t carry health insurance.
As far as Dr. Jones “paying for his patients’ healthcare"… that’s a disingenuous claim at best. The healthcare plan passed by Congress last year mandates most individuals to purchase health insurance from their employers via private insurers. So for most of his patients Dr. Jones would actually be making more money because private insurers reimburse hospitals at a higher rate than Medicaid and other government payers. The CBO (Congressional Budget Office, a non-government organization that evaluates budget proposals for Congress) says that the plan will save taxpayers a trillion dollars over 20 years.
For the remaining citizens who can’t afford to buy their own health insurance, the government subsidies will increase their access to preventative care, which will reduce costs to programs like Medicaid and Medicare because the greater preventative care will catch diseases like cancer earlier when the treatment won’t be as intensive or expensive. Offering greater access to healthcare will also make for a healthier and therefore more productive population. Those who have been unable to work due to medical problems will now be able to work. Costs from the uninsured who are forced to use the emergency rooms instead of a regular MD for non-emergency visits will no longer be passed on to everyone else. The irony of ironies in Dr. Jones argument is that he has always been paying for the health care of the uninsured, through the inflation on his own health insurance.
Does the good doctor know that the 2010 budget reduced the deficit by 13%?
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-13/budget-deficit-in-u-s-narrows-13-to-90-5-billion-on-rising-tax-receipts.html I encourage everyone to research the facts from a variety of sources and formulate their own opinion of the healthcare situation. Just be sure to base your analysis on facts, rather than on appearances like Dr. Jones.
Eric Rose
Athens, GA
9/17/2010
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