Some kids win the lottery at birth; far too many don't - and most people have a hard time catching up over the rest of their lives. Children raised in disadvantaged environments are not only much less likely to succeed in school or in society, but they are also much less likely to be healthy adults.
The fact is, many poor patients visit ERs simply because they don't have a family doctor.
There are many communities in the United States where the average family income is pitifully low. It is in those communities that we find the poorest educational facilities and the worst conditions of health. Why? It is not because they are satisfied to live as they do. It is because those communities have the lowest per capital wealth and income; therefore the lowest ability to pay taxes; and therefore inadequate functioning of local government.
In low-income countries, getting to a health post is hard. It's very expensive.
We as a nation cannot be satisfied with our children suffering health problems through no fault of their own.
Low-income people, racial or ethnic minorities, pregnant women, seniors, people with special needs, people in rural areas - they all have a much harder time accessing a dentist than other groups of Americans.
A large percentage of my father's patients were African-American.
The role of inequity in society is grossly underestimated. Inequity is not good for your health, basically.
