Hospitals / Doctors now refusing to take Medicare

[Excaliber]

I don't follow how Medicaid encourages such behaviour? From his description of the patient are we to assume she is "rich" to some degree or that she is committing fraud?

I would have to assume she meets the requirements for Medicaid, OR, she is committing fraud. What we do know: She is black, has a "shiny gold tooth", tatoo's, a nice cell phone, smokes, wears good looking tennis shoes, drinks beer and eat's pretzels. Sounds an awful lot like a typical American to me, with one big exception. She's on welfare. Assuming she is not committing fraud the expenditures for these "trappings of wealth" cut into her cost of living equation much deeper than a typical American. Should the poor then not be allowed to at least appear to be equal to a typical American standard of living? Should they be pious and plainly dressed? Just WHAT is the conclusion I'm supposed to draw from this white doctor denigrating a black woman in a state with a history of white folks suppressing black folks? Where nearly 50% of the population is on welfare? Just what is it he propose we do about it?

Oh yeah, change the "culture crisis". Were working on it. The literally poor blacks in this state no longer have to sit in the back of the bus. They can vote, they can work. They now have a shot at appearing "NORMAL", if not in reality at least in appearance, often at great personal cost far beyond what the typical American would spend. Or would we prefer they return to wearing rags and second hand clothing and show up for a job interview dressed as such?

Perhaps he has a point. But, as a white doctor in a very poor state talking about his disgust of a black woman on Medicaid he has no voice. Folks like HIM are the problem, not the solution!