Posted on 02/28/2007 6:59:16 AM PST by montag813
WASHINGTON - Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.
A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.
If his mother had been insured.
If his family had not lost its Medicaid.
If Medicaid dentists weren't so hard to find.
If his mother hadn't been focused on getting a dentist for his brother, who had six rotted teeth.
By the time Deamonte's own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George's County boy died.
Deamonte's death and the ultimate cost of his care, which could total more than $250,000, underscore an often-overlooked concern in the debate over universal health coverage: dental care.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
According to the mother, and the Wash Post, the kid's death is a result of our inadequate welfare state. The Wash Post went to a great deal of trouble to avoid reporting how many children she has. This is a propaganda piece for the socialized medicine crowd, pure and simple. Poor little boy.
You said: I am sure the kids knew how to brush their teeth.
***
There is no evidence of this in the story. I don't think it can be assumed.
No she's a welfare queen; her concern for her offspring is financial. Her chillin are just a means to get a larger check so that she can party better when the check comes in. Now that one is gone she needs to get pregnant again to ro raise her payment back up.
Oh thanks. I'm an ER doc and I am sick of seeing dental patients. Here's a clue. I'M NOT A DENTIST AND I CAN'T SOLVE DENTAL PROBLEMS. Aty best i can toss some antibiobic at the problem and some pain medicine, which WON"T SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Funny how people have money for cell phones, cigarettes, booze, dope, bling etc etc etc, but no money for their kids rotten teeth.
Every dentist I've ever gone to has someone to cover for them when they are out of town, or otherwise unavailable. When you sign up with a dentist, ask what the arrangements are. The denstist I have gone to for 15 years is in a three-person practice. When he had cancer and was undergoing treatment, the other two took care of me. When one of the other two went on maternity leave, the third dentist took care of me. And he had a backup I could get ahold of by calling his answering service. The thing is, don't wait til you have a toothache to identify a good dentist and establish a relationship.
Unfotunately that is the case for many hospitals. If they don't have a Dental call roster, the ER physicians would be exceeding the scope of their license to treat a toothache.
The mother was told the tooth had to be extracted back in October.
She had THREE MONTHS (90 days) to raise $80.00 and didn't do it.
She could have panhandled for it...she could have squeegied car windows for a buck apiece...hell, she could have gone to her church.
But no....she didn't do a damned thing.
This case should be a poster to show how lazy people become on government assistance.
When, ten years ago? I'm sure that even if they did have a health plan, they would have long expired after she quit those jobs. Doesn't look like she was looking too hard for work either, IF she could even do any considering her size. Welfare gives money for such emergency dental care, so the no medicaid excuse is a poor one as well. And just how does medicaid "lapse" anyway? More like she was too lazy to fill out the forms, because she knew welfare would cover any occasional medicare needs.
"If..." "If..."
If I had eggs I'd have ham and eggs, if I had ham.
In fact...I'd bet on it.
Simply put, it is the mother's fault this child died, so yes she needs to be held accountable. Ripping her apart on some MB is way less than she deserves.
Exactly. If the "mom" had gotten off her lazy ass and taken the boy to the local health clinic for dental care, someone there would have made arrangements to help the boy, and probably for free. There isn't enough resources to remove the stupid from people like that.
I used to work admitting desk at an ER. We wouldn't pull it there but we would call a dentist who was on call who would see you in his office 24 hours a day. Actually we had 5 dentists on call on rotating shifts. He worked out payment plans in these emergency cases.
My dentist does pro bono work on basic stuff like pullings and minor cavities early morning and every other Friday and charges very little based on ability to pay for major work.
I am sure they know how to brush their teeth. Unless they have never spent a day in health class or never watched TV, I am 99.9% sure they know how to brush there teeth.
They weren't being told to brush. My kids brush twice a day but they still have to be told to do it.
Difference between me and her is that I am not in a crack and DebbieCake induced television coma.
My Dad's best friend and my Godfather is a dentist. He charges us his costs for our work (for his assistant, anything he has to order etc)
He said the thing about seeing your dentist twice a year saves you a lot of money in the long run. Very few expensive problems will develop in less than 6 months.
And if you have a heart problem you will be having your funeral alongside this boy.
I have a heart problem and everytime I have to have dental work I am on heavy duty antibiotics for 2 days before and 2 days after.
Even if she somehow couldn't raise $80 in three months, or $26.67 per month, you can't tell me she couldn't have gone to the University of Maryland dental school in Downtown Baltimore (near buses and the Metro) and gotten this done for a cheaper rate or even free. This is an extreme case of parental neglect, and her other children should be take away, IMO.
She ought be jailed on negligent homicide charges and the other kids moved to foster care where someone can take better care about them.
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