Tired of waiting, man pulls tooth

The Australian ^ | June 25, 2008 | Danny Rose

[socialismisinsidious]

A NSW man has pulled out his own rotten tooth after waiting years for public dental treatment.

Jeff Miners said he extracted his own molar tooth about four weeks ago, after he had languished on a series of public dental waiting lists since 2001.

Despite having a mouthful of rotten teeth, the 58-year-old from Bega in southern NSW has gone without treatment except for a single filling in 2005.

"Through inaction, I had to start taking action myself,'' Mr Miners said.

"I kept working on it to loosen it, the cavity was so big I could fit my forefinger into it, and I just pulled it out.''

"I think this is scandalous. Jeff is one of 160,000 people waiting for public dental care in this state and (Health Minister) Reba Meagher does absolutely nothing,'' Ms Skinner told reporters today.

The NSW government's $120 million budget allocation to public dental services was the "lowest per capita of any state in Australia'', she said.

[socialismisinsidious]

Socialized Medicine aka Universal Health Care PING LIST

FReepmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this ping list.

[detective]

Hundreds of billions of dollars in government health care and this is the result.

[the invisib1e hand]

I think the models probaly weight the importance of treatment with an age factor. And who knows what else.

Think, Sub-prime Hospital.

[relictele]

I can’t wait for the Democrat dream (nightmare) scenario of a health care system run like the present-day DMV.

Perhaps they should put a fully-stocked toolbox in the lobby so we can get on with things.

[mnehring]

Ahh, the joy of government sponsored (rationed) healthcare.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Better to take a hammer to your teeth than spend a single penny of your own money on dental care.

[Red Badger]

Tom Hanks did that in Castaway

...............

[driftdiver]

$750 per person, With govt inefficiencies thrown in each person has an annual budget of $5. Just enough to buy your own pliers for tooth extraction.

[Principled]

Different system down under obviously-

healthcare is universal but nothing prevents one from buying his own private insurance in addition to the gov’t “care”.

if you buy your own policy, you still have full rights to the unversal system = but you get to choose.

this chap obivously only had gov’t care. lesson learned.

[driftdiver]

Can they use their own money? I thought the dentists weren’t allowed to see any private patients.

[Tzimisce]

Socialized Medicine: coming soon to a nation near you. :D

[wally_bert]

Only chinese made ones, have to save a few years for a good Craftsman set at that rate.

[Principled]

doctors can choose to see whomever they choose. Of course, the best [more expensive] doctors choose to accept private patients and the worst [least expensive] rely on gov’t referrals....

AFAIK it’s the same w/ dentists

[MrB]

One thing about arrogantassed libs, though -

they’re always smarter than anyone who ever lived, wiser than God Himself (they reject Biblical truths),

and obviously they’d run the system here better than anywhere it’s been tried.

[driftdiver]

I’m asking because in England the doctors have a quota and can’t accept patients beyond that. AFAIK

[Da Coyote]

Actually, I’d agree to total government healthcare IF the congresscritters would have EXACTLY the same care as the rest of us. E.G, get rid of their fat cat plans and have to extract their teeth like this poor fellow did. AND, that means the bimbo-bit**es like Pelosi and Boxer who have never had real jobs (and never would, save their rich husbands), have to be forbidden from paying for their care privately. (Sarcasm off)

[Dilbert San Diego]

This is a lesson we need to keep in mind. Healthcare will be rationed under socialized medicine. You won’t be able to have operations or certain treatments on your own schedule. Bureaucracy will decide whether and when you will have a needed operation.

[Dilbert San Diego]

This is a lesson we need to keep in mind. Healthcare will be rationed under socialized medicine. You won’t be able to have operations or certain treatments on your own schedule. Bureaucracy will decide whether and when you will have a needed operation.

[relictele]

The show-stopper for socialized medicine types is to ask them what will prevent government workers from moving themselves to the front of any and all queues - transplants, major surgery, drugs, etc.

Think about government employees getting out of tickets, fines, etc. and you get the idea.

Rationing (especially unnecessary rationing) will bring on corruption in very short order.