A more interesting question in my opinion is, "Why operate on any of them at all ... even once ... black or white?"
$500,000 of government money to save the life of someone who shoots heroin regularly? That does not sound like good public policy.
I can’t help but think that over-regulation of opiate pain medication has helped the rise in heroin use.
Why is the over-the-counter sale of hypodermic needles illegal? It makes life more difficult for diabetics and other people that require injectable medicine.
The ban was put in place to protect drug abusers from themselves. And now it apparently just makes things worse for them as well.
Government paternalism in action.
As a government, let people do what they want as long as it hurts no one else, and be fiscal conservative.
People who have a death wish shouldn’t be saved from themselves.
There are more deserving people doctors should save.
If you’re a heroin junkie shooting yourself up, what happens to you is really between you and God.
Having the taxpayers subsidize your self-destructive drug habit isn’t what I would call service to medical ethics.
Don't spend a penny of my tax $ on any of them, unless you're buying a box of 22 shorts.
Send em to Cuba, “the best medical care in the world”!
If an alcoholic comes into the hospital we are required to provide him with liquor.
Addiction is a life-long problem.
Buprenorphine/naloxone prescriptions should be refillable by any doctor.
Junkieburgs could be set up by private enterprise. Junkies could work for and get their fix away from the rest of us.
I thought needles were available over-the-counter from a pharmacist.
Most operations should cost less than $20,000 - a guy with a knife and another guy with metered gas canisters and a mask work with one woman for a few hours in a clean room with a table.
Transplants should cost no more than about $50,000.
Hospitals need to be converted to REITs leasing out space at say $20/year per square foot triple net. Let doctors rent out space and set up operating rooms, ERs, and pathology labs. Let nursing unions operate recovery wards.
The US spends $25 million a year for free needle exchange programs and these folks can’t even collect free clean needles?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmWXAPQiq_Q
The doctors should view this, especially starting at 2:57.
The problem is not just addiction, but to get money for drugs they are groomed to commit other crimes, thus a spike in crimes.
What I do not understand is why the dealers are under orders to recruit and sell to only whites, very different from the cartels. And these dealers are expanding.
And yet we struggle even to get basic dental care.
The only good heroin addict...
Agree they are on death row any way.
Most of us heard that Natalie Cole died the other day. What many don't know is that she was in poor health due to a heroin addiction that she kicked many years ago. However, her health continued to decline, she had to get kidney transplants and ended up dying of heart failure, which was the final result of her heroin addiction.
Now I assume that Natalie had the money to fund her health care so that fact that she destroyed her life with heroin probably did not affect my wallet. However, there are millions of people who do not have the money to pay for all this expensive health care on account of their drug addictions. We end up paying that money.
I've lived a clean life and always had a job to pay my own way. However, nearly half my income now goes to the government so that they can pay welfare, food stamps and health care for millions of people who choose not to work but to sit around getting high.
I am considered not a compassionate person because I dare to bring this subject up from time to time.