OT -Who says the unemployed don't have free medical

This is in my general area and it got my BP up already!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_ ... patients_5

It's always easiest to blame the victims, I suppose.

Texas eliminated their mental care facilities and put those people out on the street. Unfortunately, jails and emergency rooms seem to be where they are now receiving their treatment!

dieselgal wrote:This is in my general area and it got my BP up already!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_ ... patients_5

Ok, I haven't even read your link yet, but I'm betting you're in Texas...I read that article last night.

ww wrote:Texas eliminated their mental care facilities and put those people out on the street. Unfortunately, jails and emergency rooms seem to be where they are now receiving their treatment!

It wasn't just Texas. In the late 70's or early 80's, (can't remember which), it was decided that unless a person could be proven to be a threat to others, they could not be held in a mental hospital against their will and cannot be required to take medication that could help their condition...If I remember correctly, I think it was a Supreme Court decision.

So, a massive number of mentally ill people, wo cannot care for themselves and who either did not have families, or did have families who were unwilling or unable to care for them were dumped out onto the streets. In come cases, there were individuals who DID have families that would have tried to take the person in, but the patient was ushered out the front door of the state hospital without notifying anyone to come and get them. I can remember people being dropped off in downtown Flint and Detroit by the busload with a few dollars and the clothes on their back.

ww wrote:Texas eliminated their mental care facilities and put those people out on the street. Unfortunately, jails and emergency rooms seem to be where they are now receiving their treatment!

Yep. I've actually run into a couple of them my myself walking downtown. The state politicos just dumped them all out on the street about 3 years ago assuming the churches would take them all in and care for them ... very sad state of affairs.

ww wrote:Texas eliminated their mental care facilities and put those people out on the street. Unfortunately, jails and emergency rooms seem to be where they are now receiving their treatment!

Not only that, but we are constantly marketed-to on health care related things. Especially with regard to heart attacks and strokes. It's not just drugs, we are marketed-to to use health care services of all kinds. What can you expect in this kind of capitalist health care environment? Yes we should educate people but it should be at a provider level, not all over the nightly television. It doesn't make sense to get angry with people because the marketing working on them so they get scared and run to the ER for every little chest pain. Is the answer to start denying people coverage? That doesn't seem right to me. First market to them then blame them when they buy into it, what?

And we need to bring back the big institutions where people could go if they were poor or sick. It's just gross that we have people living under bridges, in old abandoned buildings, in cars, etc. It's just a fact that there are some people who will never be able to participate well in a free market, individualistic society, they should not have to live on the streets because of it.