12 Year Old Boy Dies From Lack of Healthcare

Deamonte had an abscess in his tooth and it would have cost about $80.00 to pull the tooth. Instead the government or someone will now be footing a bill of over $250,000 and this child is dead. The infection spread into Deamonte's brain. After 2 brain surgeries and 6 weeks in the hospital, this child died all because his family didn't have insurance and because they were unaware that he had a problem because they were so focused on his brother who was suffering from 6 rotten teeth. This is a travesty. No one in this country should be without medical care. It almost feels like we have become a nation where only the weatlhy are getting medical service.

To me it is a form of weeding out people based on income. If you can't afford the procedures, then you must not be worthy of the care. My family has not had health insurance for about 7 years. My husband has his own business, but the tax system does not let us deduct for insurance we pay for. When we last had insurance we were paying 1200.00 a month for a family of 4. My husband and I don't smoke. We don't have any known illnessess. Our children were healthy. The one strike we have against us is that my husband and I are overweight. I cannot imagine what our monthly premiums would be now if we were still getting insurance. So we pay as we go (or make payments after the fact) and hope and pray that nothing catastrophic happens.

I went for my yearly physical two weeks ago. We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And I am getting to the age in my life where more tests are being recommended. Cholesterol checks, mammograms, etc. The physical alone cost $185.00. Then there were the few tests I had done. Glucose because diabetes is in my family, urine test, and pap smear. Those costs added another 115.00. Then the real kicker. My family is prone to skin tags. My grandma has them, my dad has them and I have them. Most of them I ignore. But I had one growing in an uncomfortable spot that I really wanted removed. It kept getting rubbed the wrong way. I have cut off a skin tag myself before from my neck. alcohol on the knife and on the skin, snip, bandaid, and I was done. But this one was in a spot I couldn't reach well and my husband didn't want to do it. So I asked the Doctor. She got out her sterilized scissors, snipped it off and put on a bandaid. That procedure cost $96.00!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I still don't believe it! It is insane! There was not special requirements, there is no testing that needs to be done, there were no special tools involved. And I could have done a lot of other things with that $100.00. Three weeks worth of gasoline for my car. Groceries. 1/4th of my house payment. Textbooks for my children for next year. There needs to be some oversight. There needs to be some checks and balances on the health care system. It needs to be revamped.

We are in a cycle where people go to the Emergency room instead of to a doctor because hospitals have to take them. Emergency room fees are through the roof! We are also having situations like Deamonte where children are going without health care ( and grown-ups too) and they are dying because of it and leaving behind huge bills that either the hospitals will have to cover or the government will. We need to make sure that everyone gets preventative care. Birth Control pills being affordable and accessible save tons of money on the back end. It cost me $10,000 to have each of my children because I had c-sections and the last child I had was 7 years ago. I wanted and planned for my children, but think of the people who can't afford birth control and end up having the medical expense and then the life long expense of these children.

Tests during yearly physicals that can show possible danger areas and save lives and money later on. Dental care that can prevent death. Eye care...This is common sense stuff! So come on United States of America, get off your partisan duff and do something that really makes a difference to the people that live here!