Political Quotes

“today I come to the Senate floor to mark the fifth anniversary of Deamonte Driver's death. Deamonte was a 12- year-old who lived in Prince George's County, MD, only a few short miles from here. He died 5 years ago at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, from a brain infection caused by an untreated tooth abscess. The Driver family, like many families across the country, lacked dental insurance. At one point his family had Medicaid coverage, but they lost it because they had moved into a temporary shelter and their paperwork fell through the cracks. When advocates for the family tried to help, it took more than 20 calls just to find a dentist who would treat him. Deamonte began to complain about headaches on January 11. Then, an evaluation at Children's Hospital led beyond basic dental care to emergency brain surgery. He later experienced seizures, and a second operation was required. Even though he received additional treatment and therapy, and he appeared to be recovering, medical intervention came too late. By the end of his treatment, the total cost to our health care system exceeded $\1/4\ million--more than 3,000 times the $80 it would have cost for a tooth extraction. Deamonte Driver passed away on Sunday, February 25, 2007. Deamonte's death was a national tragedy. It was a tragedy because it could have been prevented if he had received timely and proper basic dental care.…”