A 24-year-old man in Cincinnati died in August from a tooth infection that reportedly spread to his brain. Unemployed and without health insurance, he had gone to a hospital ER for treatment of the infection, only to be given two prescriptions, one for an antibiotic ($27), the other for pain medication ($3), and the advice to see a dentist. Unable to afford the more expensive antibiotic or to pay a dentist, he bought the cheaper pain medication and died.*

Sound familiar? Yes. Another Deamonte Driver Tragedy.**

This particular case is not a matter of access but of the pernicious medical-dental financial system in this country. A decent system would dispense the necessary medication in the ER to assure the patient gets it ― at no charge. A decent system would provide national health care insurance for the entire population. It is not a matter of funding. It is a matter of  priorities. It is a matter of decency. 

  *See: http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110902/NEWS01/109030339/Death-after-tooth-infection-raises-questions-about-care-options

**See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/27/AR2007022702116.html