[Announce] [Peace] Re: Locked Out: Health Care Consumers Protest Outside Carle Clinic

[John W.]

At 03:26 AM 11/23/2007, Marti wrote:

>It's unfortunate that some of these 'lifestyle' choices are also related 
>to the same socioeconomic constructions which result in being denied 
>medical care. Realistically being on a limited income often means that the 
>cheapest food items contain white flour and other processed ingredients. 
>Last time I checked Aldi's did not have an organic section.  Additionally 
>the tobacco industry deliberately put many of the carcinogens and poisons 
>into cigarettes in order to make their products more addictive.
>
>The N-G editorial quoted Wellman as saying that people wanted "every 
>little thing done for their body" and, I suspect, that is what John took 
>offense to.


That's part of it.  Wellman's statement is obscenely patronizing.  Most 
people don't LIKE going to doctors or being hospitalized.  The average 
patient doesn't know what kinds of tests to request.  When "every little 
thing is done for their body", it's done on the basis of medical decisions 
determined primarily by (a) the profit motive, and (b) fear - what has been 
termed "defensive medicine".  Good God...why do you think they're so 
opposed to assisted suicide when you're terminally ill?  Ooops...there goes 
50% of their profits!

More to the point, though, is that Wellman is telling only a small part of 
the truth.  What he DOESN'T say is that American DOCTORS and HOSPITAL 
ADMINISTRATORS are consuming SECOND HOMES and LUXURY CONSUMER ITEMS at an 
alarming rate, because they're GROSSLY OVERPAID and GREEDY AS HELL and 
nauseatingly NARCISSISTIC.  They're CROOKS.  They game the system to make 
more money for themselves.  Stories of $10.00 aspirins and $50.00 plastic 
emesis basins are legion, and they're not just stories.

I've been married to a doctor, and several of my closest friends have been 
doctors.  I've seen firsthand not only how spoiled and selfish they are, 
but how they game the system.  Ask me to tell you the story of the 
"temporary pacemaker" sometime.  Ask me how many nameless subspecialists 
came out of the woodwork and hovered over my father's bed, without really 
doing anything, while he was dying.

Medicine is just like anything else.  If it's left up to the regulation of 
the "free market", it'll be grossly abused for the profit of a few.  And in 
America we've somehow deified our doctors, giving them powers and 
prerogatives and a reputation for "saintliness" that very, very few of them 
deserve.  We've also allowed the medical profession to become mystical, so 
that a few shamans control access to the "arcane" knowledge and won't allow 
themselves to be questioned.

In all of the discussion of health care in America, the grossly inflated 
incomes of doctors and hospital administrators are never, ever 
questioned.  It's just assumed that the "cost" of medical care is going to 
continue to increase at two or three  or five times the general rate of 
inflation.  The reason given is that Americans "demand" the very best of 
everything when it comes to health care.  In reality it's because medical 
professionals in America DEMAND the very best of everything for themselves, 
period.  Their lusts and egos are morbidly obese, and likely to remain that 
way unless we radically overhaul the system....which ain't gonna happen.



>I have yet to read any stories about patients being turned away from Carle 
>due to an overabundance of individuals on Health Alliance. For that matter 
>Christie Clinic manages to make room for patients who are on Personal 
>Care. In this area employer provided insurance plans will most likely have 
>either Christie or Carle in their network. The bottom line is people are 
>being denied care for no reason other than Medicaid.
>
>It's criminal to refuse medical care to people who are on Medicaid or 
>Medicare and this inhumanity needs to stop.  The United States needs to 
>develop a national health insurance program. The medical monopolies and 
>insurance companies that place profits ahead of people have created a 
>system where 'preventive care' has resulted in people wanting to have 
>'every little thing done to their bodies' and Wellman fails to consider that.
>
>I have tried to change my email address on the listserve and, so far, it 
>doesn't appear to have worked. Once I get my DSL connection I plan on 
>canceling my current service.
>
>----------
>From: announce-bounces at lists.communitycourtwatch.org 
>[mailto:announce-bounces at lists.communitycourtwatch.org] On Behalf Of 
>Jenifer Cartwright
>Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 4:38 AM
>To: John W.; Brian Dolinar; announce at communitycourtwatch.org; AWARE peace; 
>claudia at shout.net
>Subject: Re: [Announce] [Peace] Re: Locked Out: Health Care Consumers 
>Protest Outside Carle Clinic
>Dr. Bruce Wellman (interesting name for a doctor... a physician who healed 
>himself??) is telling the truth -- Americans ARE making themselves sick by 
>gaining too much weight and smoking. And sick people are the ones who need 
>medical care, duh.
>  --Jenifer
>
>
>"John W." <jbw292002 at gmail.com> wrote:
>Dr. Bruce Wellman is a lying sack of shit.
>
>Last time I checked, foster children were covered by Medicaid.  I presume 
>they're not welcome at Carle either?
>
>
>
>At 05:12 PM 11/21/2007, Brian Dolinar wrote:
>
>
>After reports that Carle Clinic was sending out rejection letters to 
>expecting mothers who were on Medicaid, Champaign County Health Care 
>Consumers organized a protest and attempted to deliver a Thanksgiving Day 
>card to Carle executives. The event took place November 20, 2007. It 
>attracted approximately 50 people who stood outside Carle along University 
>Avenue, holding signs and chanting slogans like, "Carle Clinic: rich and 
>rude! We don't like your attitude!"
>
>Champaign County Health Care Consumers has documented the health care 
>crisis locally. They say that 40%, or 75,000, Champaign County residents 
>are locked out of the health care system. Carle Clinic and Christie Clinic 
>employ over 90% of the doctors, and both of the clinics deny services to 
>55,000 of the uninsured and 20,000 patients with Medicaid insurance. As 
>has been recently discovered, some of those denied are expecting mothers.
>
>At a press conference, Jeff Scott spoke about receiving a letter denying 
>his wife health care during her pregnancy. Jeff and his wife were 
>expecting their second child and inquired with Carle about their coverage. 
>They received a letter from Patient's Accounts and Financial Services 
>Division in October. It read:
>
>"Please be aware that Carle Clinic is unable to accept new Illinois 
>Department of Health Care and Family Services' All Kids. If you have no 
>insurance and are planning on applying for IDHFS Medicaid through the Moms 
>and Babies Program and are not currently a patient with the OB department 
>in Urbana, you will need to contact either Planned Parenthood or Frances 
>Nelson Health Care for pre-natal services [...].
>
>"You have 30 days after the birth of your baby to let Carle Clinic know 
>the baby's coverage. Carle Clinic is no longer able to accept primary 
>IDHFS coverage of new patients. And if IDHFS or All Kids will be your 
>primary coverage for your baby you will need to contact either the 
>Department of Public Health of Frances Nelson Health Care for well baby 
>check ups."
>
>Carle responded to these charges by saying that they are no longer sending 
>out these letters and have a new letter stating that they accept Medicaid 
>patients. Scott applauded this decision, but said they need to publicize 
>this to the community, otherwise people will continue to stay away due to 
>past experiences.
>
>Paulette Colemon talked about how three generations of her family have 
>been discriminated against by Carle Clinic. She was there with her 
>daughter Brittany and her grandson Brennan [see picture attached]. 
>Paulette said that she was denied oral care three years ago because she 
>was a Medicaid patient. When her daughter Brittany found out that she was 
>pregnant she tried to get an appointment at Carle, but she was told in 
>order to have her baby at Carle she would have to get her pre-natal care 
>at Planned Parenthood or Frances Nelson. Although her grandson Brennan was 
>born at Carle, he was never considered to be a patient of Carle Clinic 
>doctors. He was not able to come to the clinic for well baby check ups. As 
>Paulette said, "He experienced discrimination before he was born. That's 
>why Brennan's sign says, 'Born 12/27/06. Banned 12/28/06.' When he was 
>discharged after his birth, he was not allowed to come back to Carle 
>Clinic. How can you be born here, but not be a patient here?" She ended by 
>saying, "I don't want to see one more generation of my family be denied care."
>
>Lastly, a group of health care consumers attempted to take a Thanksgiving 
>Day card, signed by Jeff, Paulette, and other protesters, up to the 
>executive offices of Carle. They did not make it past the front door. 
>Doors around the building were locked and guarded by Carle security. Only 
>the main entrance was open and it was guarded by at least three security 
>officers. "They're keeping us away from health care," said Claudia 
>Lenhoff, CCHCC director.
>
>Carle made several efforts to preempt the protest, beginning a propaganda 
>campaign saying that they were no longer sending out the letters denying 
>care to mothers. They distributed out a mass email to Carle employees 
>stating that a story would be on WCIA TV, Channel 3, interviewing Dr. 
>Timothy Meneely who was speaking about their acceptance of patients under 
>the Illinois Health Connect program.
>
>Carle's chief executive Dr. Bruce Wellman claimed the hospital could not 
>provide care to everybody. He was quoted in the News-Gazette saying, "all 
>this still wouldn't result in care for everybody, because America is 
>overconsuming medical services at an alarming rate - both by wanting every 
>little thing done for their bodies and by those making themselves sick by 
>gaining too much weight and smoking."
>
>Of course, Jeff or Brittany were not "overconsuming" health services, but 
>just looking for basic care. What will it take for mothers to gain access 
>to the right to give birth in Champaign County?
>--
>Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
>303 W. Locust St.
>Urbana, IL 61801
><mailto:briandolinar at gmail.com>briandolinar at gmail.com
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