Big-time media misrepresent the U.S. health-care system as “dysfunctional.” It is only dysfunctional in so far as big government has made it so.
Do we really want big government taking over a system that is still the best in the world, in spite of big government’s past illegal interference?
What big government wants to do is change (the magic word) every doctor-patient, two-party arrangement into a three-party arrangement, like it or not. “Medical payments must be assured by the government; there is no alternative.”
It may not always be convenient, but the care is there now — clinics, hospitals, great doctors and nurses, state agencies, charities, benefactors, foundations, kith and kin. The best arrangements for many are private or group insurance plans and two-party contracts (patient and service provider), assisted, as needed, by charities, medical professional generosity, benefactors, foundations and kith and kin.
Consider the example of the Joplin Community Clinic, an amazing charity located near the corner of Seventh Street and Joplin Avenue. That little corner serves 55,000 patients per year from eight counties in Southwest Missouri, even some orthopedic patients from Arkansas. They turn away nobody. Their service is free; they do not discourage patients who can afford it to make a $10 “charitable” donation. About 50 percent of the patients do donate $10.
The clinic’s specialty care partners are Joplin’s two major hospitals, Freeman Health System and St. John’s Regional Medical Center. These friendly relationships most certainly relieve a lot of the heavy load our hospital emergency rooms handle which includes people with “emergencies”— that includes “no other medical attention” available for those without doctors (like rural folks).
Unlike Medicare/Medicaid, the clinic takes dental patients. For adults, it is limited to extractions, but for children it consists of screenings, cleaning and protective sealants to prevent cavities. Complicated dental procedures like root canals, fillings, braces, caps and bridges are not performed in the clinic’s two-chair dental section.
The clinic treats just about any medical problem. For example, breast-cancer screening, for women of course and for men, too.
The clinic has the necessary, most adequate pharmacy. Most of this staffing is voluntary. The credit for the clinic’s success goes to many people: volunteer doctors, volunteer dentists, volunteer registered and practical nurses, volunteer general helpers and assorted other volunteers (like fund-raisers, sweepers and moppers, and gofers).
But of all volunteers, the financial contributor is the least visible but nevertheless very much needed for the financial health care of the clinic. In 2008, the clinic received $459,864 in grants and donations. The clinic’s value to the community in 2008 was $876, 276. That’s an amazing annual return on your money, Joplin; you should do so well in the financial markets.
The greatest source of income — 30 percent of all income — was individual donations; the greatest expense — 62 percent of all expenses — was patient care. Another example of performance; but then, the Joplin Community Clinic is performance oriented. And Joplin should be very proud of such performance.
Joplin’s Community Clinic is a great example of how health problems can be solved, unfettered by intrusive government.
John Cragin lives in Joplin.
Opinion
Guest columnist: Joplin has answer to health-care crisis
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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