The optician at a community eye clinic decided I needed further testing so referred me for an appointment with the Wilmer Eye Clinic at the Johns Hopkins conglomerate. The assistant called and gave them the information and then after some back and forth, hung up, looked at me and shook her head in disbelief. “After all that….” she said. What she meant was that after giving them all my information, confirming that it was Veterans Insurance earlier in the conversation, the person on the other end of the line later said Hopkins does not accept my Veterans Insurance. After some of the usual comments like: ‘good enough to go to war but not to get health care’, ‘yes I went to medical school, and graduate school, and residency at Hopkins blah blah blah’ she apologized. As if she was the one representing the institution and its oppressive policies.
I walked to the car, mindful of my steps, breathing in the air, fresh. Thinking, what if I was in northern California, no fresh air. There was no disbelief. Just acknowledgment that yet again, capitalism exploits those with decreased income. And who has the highest risk of decreased income and wealth? Black people. Brown People. Period!
This time there was little anger. Just acceptance that large capitalist institutions like the Johns Hopkins conglomerate discriminates against people with decreased income. And a continued resignation to do something about it. My activism and research over the last 30 years has focused on the role of the Johns Hopkins conglomerate and its continued expansion through the taking of land from low income Black people in East Baltimore Maryland: displacement and gentrification. Why would I be surprised that they also discriminate in provision of health care? I knew this already. And now I get to be another data point.
There is no legal requirement that a hospital system which receives millions of dollars in public support over the years for research and continued land acquisition, must serve its community.
Public funding supports the institution in conducting research aimed at discovering cures for diseases once perceived as incurable. But the same hospital and research institution has no obligation to provide these cures, discovered through public funding, to a veteran living in their neighborhood.
In 2016, Johns Hopkins University received the largest amount of dollars ($2.10 billion) from the federal government for research and development. That year 86% of their total expenditure for research and development ($2.43 billion) came from these federal dollars. The conclusion: 86% of the benefit from their research should be returned to the public.
This is not about me. This is about people who, because of their income and the color of their skin, continue to be treated as second class citizens. Take a peek inside a Veterans Administration hospital to get a sense of who receives care there and use Veterans insurance for care outside of the hospital. For those of us who cannot afford additional health insurance, this is it!
Hopkins is not the only institution that discriminates against veterans. But it is one of the institutions which receives the largest subsidies from the government. And for this reason alone, it has an obligation to provide greater benefit to the public. Shame on Johns Hopkins conglomerate. And shame on the federal government for not holding subsidized universities and hospitals to a higher standard of accountability to the public.
The government built the systems that continue the exploitation of low income Black and brown bodies by ignoring the racist and classist behaviors in health care delivery that has contributed to health disparities. Racial and class disparities exist in all sectors, including the criminal justice system. Like the criminal justice system, hospitals and universities will continue to oppress and cause harm until held accountable. The government must hold itself accountable, or we the people will.
Organize, Organize, Organize…remember your freedom and sovereignty inside and out, and vote out the corrupt politicians! Register someone to vote who is not yet registered.
