August 25, 2009
Something unusual is happening in Kansas
I think the Guardian’s best work is done when they find people at the heart of raging issues, and let them tell their own stories. This article is about a highly unusual doctor in Kansas who has set up a clinic for people who are uninsured, people who can’t afford any healthcare. Dr. Sharon Lee treats them, free of charge. Dr. Lee’s clinic exists on the basis of donations and the fact that all staff – remarkably, including Dr. Lee herself – are paid a flat rate of $12 per hour. Just let that fact sink in for a while.
Featured in the article is the story of a porsche-driving gynaecologist who lost his practise when he developed symptoms of Huntingdon’s disease – it took a while for him to even get diagnosed – that made it impossible for him to work, and with it went his health insurance, and with the cost of his medication, very quickly went the snazzy house, the cars, and the rest of it. He now lives in a small flat in the suburbs and regularly has to choose between food and medication. The fickleness of American life never ceases to amaze me.
And while you’re at it, check out this five minute audio sample from Dr. Lee’s clinic. What a fucking hero.
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Lucy, I am reading and thinking and rereading and rethinking. So much to say. So much to ask.
Well, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
It has to do mostly with the legal gaming industry known as ‘insurance’.
Sheila, that describes it perfectly.
I just have to think back at least a few centuries, the way I do.
A horrific story which virtually no major news outlet in the US will touch.