• news
  • WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28 2007 4:00 PM

Boy Dies From Bad Tooth

Submitted by Bitch_PhD

Edited by erin_broadley

Tags: health care, insurance



So what happens when kids don't have insurance?

They can die. From a bad tooth. Which abscesses. Spreading infection to the brain.

Horrific summary: the boy's brother had several abscessed teeth, the result of a dentist who "discontinued the treatments . . . after the boy squirmed too much in the chair." (Dude needs to lose his license.) It took a month after the abscesses started to find an oral surgeon who'd see the kid, two months to get a consultation, and another month and a half for the appointment. During which time the family's Medicaid lapsed, so they had to cancel the appointment.

Then Deamonte, in the picture, comes home with a headache, ends up in the hospital, has two brain surgeries, and dies after telling his mother to "make sure you pray before you go to sleep."

Poor children are more than twice as likely to have cavities as their more affluent peers, research shows, but far less likely to get treatment.

Serious and costly medical consequences are "not uncommon," said Norman Tinanoff, chief of pediatric dentistry at the University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore. For instance, Deamonte's bill for two weeks at Children's alone was expected to be between $200,000 and $250,000. The federal government requires states to provide oral health services to children through Medicaid programs, but the shortage of dentists who will treat indigent patients remains a major barrier to care.


Because Medicaid doesn't pay them enough.

  • PERMALINK
  • PRINT
  • Digg This
  • Email To A Friend
 

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 7

Next

Comments
theconservative

theconservative

Spring, TX
October 2004

FEB 28, 2007 11:48 PM

theconservative said:

Subrosa said:
The question of whether or not the mother should be blamed is about the farthest thing humanly possible from the point or what people should be taking from this story. It's not the boy's fault that his mother slipped up, and yet he is the one to pay for her failures (as well as those of the dentists who treated him and the medical/dental system in general.) There is plenty of "blame" to be shouldered here amongst several people, but what people should be primarily concerned about is ensuring that blameless children should not have to suffer the consequences.



parents should make sure of that.



oh yeah, and another thing, the point of the article seems to be 'look, the government didn't care about this kid, and now he's dead." it should be 'here's what happens when parents don't do their jobs.'

RudieCantFail

RudieCantFail

Baton Rouge, LA
January 2006

FEB 28, 2007 11:53 PM

Burzum said:
This is a huge argument for universal healthcare. Why America is America the only first world country without socialized healthcare?

How common is this, though? I've never heard of anyone dying from a cavity before. I thought the extent was that your tooth became rotten and fell out. This is a freak accident, right?



Actually no, tooth and gum infections can spread quite rapidly to the brain. I had a great-uncle die from this same thing. Though in his case, it wasn't because there were no medical services available to him, it was because he was to stuborn to go to the dentist.

JDPatriot

JDPatriot

Fort Lauderdale, FL
January 2004

FEB 28, 2007 11:54 PM

Am I the only one who blames the beaurocracy on the Government's excessive regulations, restrictions, fucked up payment plans, and bizarre social programs?

What doctor would EVER let this happen if it weren't for the fact that they are in a system where the supply of medical care is so grossly controlled that it will never be able to match demand?

Fuck the government. This is the result of socialized medicine. And fuck the previous 5 pages of discussion, i'm drunk and I don't care. That's my 2 cents and i'm not responding to any bullshit on this thread.

Peace out and drink mad beer.

Satsu

Satsu

Olds, AB
December 2006

FEB 28, 2007 11:57 PM

That's why you brush your teeth.


duh.

Margot_Dent

Margot_Dent

Los Angeles, CA
February 2004

MAR 01, 2007 12:03 AM

Lilsooze said:
That's why you brush your teeth.


duh.



lol ur right its so simple!!!1

attn_ho

attn_ho

Brooklyn, NY
February 2004

MAR 01, 2007 12:04 AM

theconservative said:

what the fuck? what should moms be held accountable for?



obviously they cant be accountable for raising compassionate children.

Dark_Templar

Dark_Templar

Auburn, CA
June 2004

MAR 01, 2007 12:21 AM

attn_ho said:

theconservative said:

what the fuck? what should moms be held accountable for?



obviously they cant be accountable for raising compassionate children.



hahahahahhahahaha

Luloo

Luloo

Pittsburgh, PA
February 2007

MAR 01, 2007 06:08 AM

Bonnie said:

I can't help but feel medical plans like the USA have is kinda fucked. So you don't have to have health insurance - that's fine all the time you're healthy. But what happens when you get sick or have an accident?(



In some states (PA is one), if you have an emergency, you can get your medical costs subsidized. Twice my sister thought she was having a heart attack and drove herself to the hospital to get checked. The first time the hospital paid for 3/4 of her treatment, and the second time they paid for all of it. The big thing is that you have to be working in order to be eligible.

One of my coworkers at a fast food job was diagnosed with Hepatitis and ended up spending three weeks in the hospital. One day the hospital called asking for documentation that he was actually employed. I imagine there are other systems in place if you are unemployed.

The process to get the medical bills paid is a pain in the ass, and the hospital frequently loses the paperwork.

That said, I am uninsured and have to go to the doctor today. I haven't been to my doctor for over five years because I don't have insurance. All of the costs are going to be out of pocket and there is nothing that I can do to avoid that.

Luloo

Luloo

Pittsburgh, PA
February 2007

MAR 01, 2007 06:10 AM

I'm just going to the doctor to deal with some out of control allergies.

Nothing to worry about.

dem_z

dem_z

United Kingdom
June 2004

MAR 01, 2007 06:19 AM

theconservative said:

theconservative said:

Subrosa said:
The question of whether or not the mother should be blamed is about the farthest thing humanly possible from the point or what people should be taking from this story. It's not the boy's fault that his mother slipped up, and yet he is the one to pay for her failures (as well as those of the dentists who treated him and the medical/dental system in general.) There is plenty of "blame" to be shouldered here amongst several people, but what people should be primarily concerned about is ensuring that blameless children should not have to suffer the consequences.



parents should make sure of that.



oh yeah, and another thing, the point of the article seems to be 'look, the government didn't care about this kid, and now he's dead." it should be 'here's what happens when parents don't do their jobs.'



Doesn't society have a duty to protect those children? (If we accept that parents who don't make their children brush their teeth are abusive, which I don't.)

What about all the many other minor illnesses that can become much more serious without healthcare? Can we blame parents for not knowing enough about medicine when their children die?

PointBlank

PointBlank

New York, NY
November 2004

MAR 01, 2007 06:24 AM

timirevolting said:
Sorry to hear a death was the result. However, WHY are these people relying on medicaid to care for their illnesses? Get a job, get health benifits, or pay your own way when your ill. Have a nice day! smile



Not everyone can be a "working class chef" like you, winner.

Oren

Oren

United Kingdom
January 2006

MAR 01, 2007 06:26 AM

My god, that's awful. Makes me thankful for the NHS over here, even if the dentistry side of it is sub-par.

sixtyfootqueenie said:
having lived in 2 countries that provide free healthcare for its citizens (one being australia nd the second being england)



The NHS is not technically free. It's pubically funded. I think that's what you meant. wink (Yeah, I'm in a nitpicky mood.)

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

MAR 01, 2007 06:27 AM

Lilsooze said:
That's why you brush your teeth.


duh.



Yes, clearly that would have prevented all of this.

Do people even bother to read threads anymore? It's only three pages, gorramit.

freshprncebelair

freshprncebelair

Ellicott City, MD
June 2004

MAR 01, 2007 06:51 AM

DrStinkypants said:

theconservative said:

Bitch_PhD said:
As far as the "it's the mom's fault for letting Medicaid lapse" thing goes--no doubt, partly. But how many of you have gotten busy and forgotten or screwed up paperwork at some point in your lives? What if you're a poor working single mom with two kids? The amount of crap you have to stay on top of with kids is insane, and inevitably some stuff is going to get screwed up somewhere along the line. People shouldn't die because they get behind on some bureaucratic bullshit.

And blaming the mom for stuff like this is *exactly* why I get so hacked off about people blaming moms with problems for whatever happens to their kids when a lot of the problems people have would be a lot easier to address if there were some kind of functioning health care system--whether it's mental health, insurance, or help kicking a drug or alcohol habit.



what the fuck? what should moms be held accountable for?



Haven't you been reading?
Nothing is anyone's fault, ever.
duh



No, you are fogetting, it's the fault of old white men in power, for being white and being men. Their control of the government, and whiteness, causes the poverty that keeps everyone down. Also, the fact that they have a penis doesn't help their case any

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

MAR 01, 2007 07:42 AM

theconservative said:

theconservative said:

Subrosa said:
The question of whether or not the mother should be blamed is about the farthest thing humanly possible from the point or what people should be taking from this story. It's not the boy's fault that his mother slipped up, and yet he is the one to pay for her failures (as well as those of the dentists who treated him and the medical/dental system in general.) There is plenty of "blame" to be shouldered here amongst several people, but what people should be primarily concerned about is ensuring that blameless children should not have to suffer the consequences.



parents should make sure of that.



oh yeah, and another thing, the point of the article seems to be 'look, the government didn't care about this kid, and now he's dead." it should be 'here's what happens when parents don't do their jobs.'


If you would read the article, you would plainly see that it was not only the parent's mistakes that caused and contributed to this issue. It's right there in black and white, you just refuse to see it because it. Now, I know it's a heck of a lot easier to just say "the parent was a douchebag", dust your hands off and move on, but there are those of us who are interested in, you know, solving problems rather than just blaming people for them.

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 7

Next

featured interviews