TYLER, Texas — Appointment cancellations and financial distress have become a constant at Bethesda Pediatrics, a nonprofit medical clinic in East Texas that is heavily dependent on Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor. On a recent Monday, the mother of a toddler who had a primary care appointment broke down in tears after learning the child had just lost Medicaid coverage, wondering how she could pay the bill. Another mother told Dr. Danny Price, the clinic’s lead pediatrician, th
California Gov. Newsom continues to expand healthcare coverage for illegal immigrants. But his latest handout could mean another $11 billion in federal aid taxpayers must finance.
Tanner Aliff
It took a while for me to get used to the screaming of handcuffed patients spastically yelling murderous threats at their police escorts as they wheeled them through the emergency room. It didn’t faze the veteran nurses probably didn’t even crack their top 50 memorable moments on the job. But as an intern mental observer at the time, seeing the same Medicaid-covered patients time after time failing to get treated for substance abuse made a deep impression on me.
It’s the reason I doubt that Oregon’s recently passed Measure 110, which lessens the penalty for possession of illegal drugs, will do much good for anyone struggling with addiction.