Truth In Our Time: Dr. Starner Jones Message To Obama

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Dr. Starner Jones Message To Obama

Starner Jones, MD

I am a seventh generation Mississippian and wanted to come back here after going somewhere else for college and medical school.. My extracurricular interests are golf, hunting, fishing and college football.

Dear Sirs:

"During my last night's shift in the ER, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient with an expensive shiny gold tooth, multiple elaborate expensive tattoos, a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and a new cellular telephone equipped with her favorite R&B tune for a ringtone.. Glancing over the chart, one could not help noticing her payer status: Medicaid. She smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and, somehow, still has money to buy beer.

And our Congress expects me to pay for this woman's health care? Our nation's health care crisis is not a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. It is a crisis of culture ˜ a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. A culture that thinks "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Life is really not that hard. Most of us reap what we sow. Don't you agree?

STARNER JONES, MD
Jackson , MS

Comments (22)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

-2 Vote up Vote down

Heidi Searls · 791 weeks ago

I just got done reading the "Culture Crisis", and as a civilian, I have to see this from both sides. NOT saying your wrong about people who spend all their money on things they really don't need, instead of health care, but YOU don't know WHEN that woman got her "gold" tooth, her costly tattoos, those tennis shoes, and unless she has told you that she JUST got that cellular telephone, you have NO idea when any of those belongings were purchased. SO I HIGHLY advise you that you don't pass judgement on an individual before knowing the FULL truth.
I will tell you this, I'm a "self-pay" individual, and the health care for New York SUCKS! I cannot afford it. I bring home $254.00, I have a vehicle I pay on, and rent and all the other ammeneties to take care of ME...yet I still can't afford Health Insurance. So maybe next time, you should email the good O President having him get better health care...then maybe MORE people could have insurance. Cause people like myself would love to have SOMETHING...and yet I have nothing.

Sincerely,
Heidi Searls
Cortland NY

3 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

0 Vote up Vote down

Bernard · 739 weeks ago

You apparently have a computer, pay for Internet access and likely have an expensive cell phone. I wonder if you smoke and enjoy going to bars at night. As for health care for years and years it has been requires of hospitals to take all who come through the emergency room doors and give them health care. Health care has never been a problem. No I don't know you and your actual situation but if you aren't managing your money properly perhaps you should get some help with how to budget.

-1 Vote up Vote down

chrissy · 736 weeks ago

well ido have a computer, and my son does also he bought it when he was still working ,but now has no internet, he does not smoke, does not go to bars and no longer has a cell phone.he has a family, had a job injury and surgery, we live in a right to work state , so after his injury while recuperating he got laid of, he was able to get cobra subsidized $430.00 750 deductable 20%copay now it went to $1200.00 $750.00 deductable per family member and 20 % copay for 3 more month after this he is no longer eligable, and wont be able tobuy other insurance due to pre existing conditions, we his parents we are lucky we have socialized health care medicare and va
i do not understand how hatefull so many people are , as long as it does not happen to them , which i hope all those hatefull people will fall on hard times get injured due to no fault of there and see what it is like .you twist all does actions of what some criminales do to suit your twisted thinking which should be directed at the repuplicans , that make asses of you .

+1 Vote up Vote down

A.B. · 733 weeks ago

I appreciate Dr Starnes letter. My wife and I are on Medicare, without supplemental insurance. We have a very small amount of additional income. Things were going reasonably well for us healthwise, so we had dropped the supplemental insurance to save money. Then, my wife had to have hip surgery last year, and we were unable to pay the co-pay. Fortunately, we are able to make monthly payments on the thousands that Medicare did not pay. We owe the money, and do not expect anyone else to pay it. We have noticed that most government programs are an invitation to fraud. That appears to be true of the person that Dr Starnes treated that night in the ER. I suspect that he is a decent person who noticed a serious flaw in the program, but treated her like he would have treated any other patient.

+3 Vote up Vote down

S.M. in Plano,TX · 790 weeks ago

Let me start by saying that I whole heartedly agree with you, but lets take it a step further. How about those of us that are paying for healthcare, and in some cases through the nose for it. We still have rediculous out of pocket expenses on top of the premiums we have to pay. I'm in healthcare and have never had such huge out of pocket expenses. There are times when I say , why? Why don't I just quit my job and go on welfare and get complete coverage? The system seems to be making it easier for this sort of thing to occur.____

-2 Vote up Vote down

sm in plano,tx · 790 weeks ago

There is also the fact that there are providers that refuse to participate with insurance company, resulting in balance billing to patients.__Your grevance is with the insurnance company, not the patient that you state you hold so dear. In some cases the patient is also your employee, which makes it even worse.____This countries healthcare is nothing to laugh at anymore. It seems to be the topic of conversation, but nithing gets doen, unless it is to help the poor and unfortunate. Unfortunately, for those in the middle class, it is pushing us to become the poor and unfortunate, and still allowing the rich to get rich, sit back and laugh at the rest of us. ____S.M. in Plano, TX

-2 Vote up Vote down

Chamonix · 786 weeks ago

The kind of patient Starner Jones referred to in his letter is not typical of the majority of Medicaid recipients. Jones' letter is not surprising, given that he is a professional, with a professional's income and tax bracket. The fact that he is described as a "7th generation Mississippian" speaks VOLUMES. Starner Jones, with his sanctimonious and judgmental attitude, has no business treating Medicaid patients in any capacity. They deserve and need to be treated by a physician who is only concerned with providing them with the highest degree of knowledge, skill and compassion.
Starner Jones should consider a new career in politics, as he doesn't seem to be able to separate his politics from his profession anyway. I have some advice for Dr. Starner Jones: It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people wonder if you are an idiot, than it is to open it and prove you are one.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

Me001 · 735 weeks ago

I suggest you take your last line of advice to Dr. Jones and follow it yourself. I know many people who work in the medical profession, family members being some. You apparently have know idea of how MANY people abuse the system. The patient that Dr. Jones describes has been described many times by those I know. It's because of people like you who walk around with blinders on and always want to make excuses for those like Dr. Jones described that we have the issues we do in the health care system. There is so much fraud that goes on in the hospital by MANY patients. Wake up and take off your rose colored glasses........Kudos to you Dr. Jones, Keep up the good work.....There are many of us who know exactly what you are talking about, it's about time others start waking up

+3 Vote up Vote down

TruthInOurTime 46p · 783 weeks ago

@Chamonix

Your first sentence implies that you know the majority of medicaid recipients which I find highly unlikely.

How would you feel if you make it through a decade of schooling (in your field of choice) and then the government tells you what they will pay for your work. Say you toil and become an architect, you design buildings for who ever has the money. Then the government comes along and says "Hey, we want you to design buildings for all these poor/old people, and we know that you are the best and charge a premium for your professionalism but we are going to only pay you 10% of what you would normally be paid in the free market"

How is that fair? How is it fair that I am literally robbed at gunpoint twice a month so that those who don't even work can have medical care? It isn't fair, the reason why healthcare is so damn expensive in this country is because the government is involved so deeply, take some time and research how much medical procedures cost in the 50's and 60's before the government took it over.

1 reply · active 783 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

ME001 · 735 weeks ago

Wouldn't be surprised if she was a recipient of Medicaid, that would be her justification for this patient......

+3 Vote up Vote down

mona · 742 weeks ago

Dear John,
It was a great letter and one that I agree with one hundred percent.
I'm a third year medical student myself. My parents are devoted republicans but I never really got into politics with them, althought I listened. Now that I'm doing my rotations I know exactly what my parents were talking about and you summirized it beautifully in your letter to President Obama.
Thank you so much, I will pass it on...
In answer to Chamonix...the patient John describes in his letter is totally a typical medicaid recipient. With some exeptions like anything else John's description is pretty acccurate. And, Chamonix, as doctors we might have our opinions but we will still take care of all kind of patients no matter the color, the race, the political view or the kind of teeth they display!! Your opinion of us is wrong, I'm sorry!! Still, I would professionally fully take care of you if you should ever need medical attention. Guaranteed!
Mona

-1 Vote up Vote down

Nicole · 741 weeks ago

Dear Dr. Jones,

I hope this response finds you well. I am a Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program student at CU in Boulder, CO. I have an MBA and a BS in Medical Technology from Michigan State. I was given severance from a major healthcare company in July after 13 years with them and have been looking for work. I have been on several interviews and have a prospective job in the horizon. My decision to attend school was based on a dream of mine to become a doctor. Hence, I am going to school full time as well.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Nicole · 741 weeks ago

My severance ended in December, which makes me eligible for unemployment and COBRA. I have had to make several trips to the Unemployment office in Denver and listened to various stories. As a healer and healthcare worker, I became empathetic with others I might have previously judged. Yes, I am Caucasian. There were several people there matching the description of your ER patient. I listened to them, and they listened to me. Many of them were exhausted, and beaten by life. The ones with the strongest personalities and the most "bling" confessed to huge stressors in their lives after I asked them a few questions. They seemed to want to show the world they weren't in a state of panic, and the way they dressed made them feel better about themselves. Their clothing style did not match my taste; it was too flashy for me. Then, add low self-esteem, cultural disadvantages and an economic recession, depression sets. Then, depression leads to addiction issues. Many people, like your patient, use these offerings from the government to gain a sense of empowerment. Some abuse the system as an act of revenge, because they feel the system has failed them.

-1 Vote up Vote down

Nicole · 741 weeks ago

My friend in the Respiratory Therapy field forwarded your blog to me and others, stating to "pass it along" if you agree. Several did agree. I have to admit I do not agree with you and am concerned. The Hippocratic Oath states, "I will treat without exception all who seek my ministrations." Since you have taken this oath and are a practicing physician, according to this, your judgment of one's Medicaid status and their life choices should not be factored in your care. While you are entitled to your opinion in the US, as a physician, your judgment is not. I used to work in the ER at Detroit Medical Center and understand how exhausting that life can be. The burnout rate can be high for ER Physicians. You sound angry, burned out and exhausted. Perhaps the intensity has gotten to you and is sucking out the life and compassion?

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

Me001 · 735 weeks ago

For someone who claims to be so educated, you apparently didn't comprehend Dr. Jones letter. Nowhere in his letter did he say he didn't and wouldn't take care of that patient or any other patient. The only one who seems to be passing judgement in my view is you.....

-2 Vote up Vote down

Nicole · 741 weeks ago

I hope what I am writing does not make you angry. My goal is to not do so, but rather suggest another avenue. Perhaps another residency might work out better for you? I know for a fact that doctors in surgery, plastics, GI, radiology and dermatology do not experience the kind of feelings you wrote about in your blog.

+3 Vote up Vote down

JWN · 739 weeks ago

It is hard for everyone to make ends meet and to see someone who has the lastest and greatest and being on medicaid. A big problem is our welfare system because they let people collect and give people that aren't even citizens free everything. American people who can't make ends meet and are turned away or given less then they can survive on. Senior citizens worked their whole life and then get screwed. Most have to work to pay for their medicine to survive. I see non American people buying houses and opening businesses while other Americans are losing their homes and jobs. People came to the US a long time before welfare and worked for what they had and became citizens. Not just live off us and not become citizens. We need to fix the system and stop giving to the people who could work welfare and medicaid. I would love to have some nice clothes, a cell phone, a nice car to drive and feel better about myself. But the need to have a decent place to live and food on the table will always come first. People have no priorities. Know one cares about anyone and don't help each other. It is a ME world. No manners no morals.

0 Vote up Vote down

Ken · 738 weeks ago

Insurance companies and hospitals are the real culprets in this health care crisis. I have a condition that could be fixed but the hospitals charge too much and the insurance companies have doctor overriding procedures to diagnose and treat patients. My known condition could be fixed at a lesser cost than the testing. The insurance company procedures (pain management, medicine trials, physical therapy, etc.) took so long, I was first approved for Social Security. Doctors deserve the money for our health care, not the insurance companies. Many drugs should be over the counter as they are in other countries. A simple fingernail infection can be cause for an x-ray, Dr. diagnostic, Dr. visit, follow-up visit and prescriptions cost the insurance company and patient a total of over $1000 when a person could buy the antibiotic over the counter for $35. To hell with the worry about over use of an antibiotic because the doctor would also do the same. Let us diagnose minor issues with our own body. That is what freedom is suppose to be all about. Don't tell me how to treat myself for minor issues. It is no ones business or the governements business in a case like this. I can go to Mexico and save all kinds of money as all the middle class and poor people do already.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Pam · 738 weeks ago

While invoking the Hippocratic oath, Nicole makes a common error in logic. It bequests doctors to "treat without exception", and as far as we know, that is what the doctor did. If later he has comments to make about the political side of his "job", he has every right as an American under the Consitution of the United States to voice his opinion.
I think the point he is trying to make is that people in this country are making very poor choices and expecting someone else to be responsible. Period. If you look at our country prior to 1900, they had no insurance, no retirement and a majority lived off the land. They worked hard, ate what they grew and learned to take care of themselves and their families.
continued

0 Vote up Vote down

Pam · 738 weeks ago

continued... In becoming a industrialized nation we have lost or have given away the vital connection to the things that kept us healthy and happy. And subsequently, our values have shifted and personal responsiblity and accountability have left the country. I am a healthcare provider and the "entitlement" minded individuals are not just the "poor and disenfranchised". I had an elderly woman, living with her adult daughter who made excellent money, insist that the nurses needed to continue coming to her home once a month to draw blood. This woman could have easily taken the one or two hours off from work, once a month to take her mother to the lab. But she wanted Medicare to pay for it because she was "entitled". continued...
.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Pam · 738 weeks ago

continued....I am waiting for someone with some influence to come out and say, one of the reasons for our healthcare crisis is a personal lack of accountability for our health. When are we going to look at the 350 pound man or woman with diabetes and smokes a pack of cigarettes a day and say, you have to pay full coverage for your health insurance unless you start exercising and eating correctly? That is the problem and the solution. Make people accountable or we all go down the drain

0 Vote up Vote down

ME001 · 735 weeks ago

This is to the moderator why were my responses not allowed. Nothing I said was offensive.

Post a new comment

Comment as a Guest, or login:

Tweet this comment

Connected as (Logout)

Email (optional)

Not displayed publicly.

Submit Comment

Subscribe to

Comments by IntenseDebate

Commodities
Crude Oil	62.32	-0.21%
Natural Gas	3.33	-
Gasoline	2.02	-
Heating Oil	2.08	-0.64%
Gold	3218.70	+0.43%
Silver	32.23	+0.42%
Copper	4.61	-
2025.04.16 end-of-day		» Add to your site

Truth In Our Time

Pages

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Dr. Starner Jones Message To Obama

Forgot password?

Comments (22)

Post a new comment