Christine Smith arrived at 3am in the hope of
seeing a dentist for the first time since she
turned 18. That was almost eight years ago. Her
need is obvious and pressing: 17 of her teeth are
rotten; some have large visible holes in them. She
is living in constant pain and has been unable to
eat solid food for several years.

"I had a gastric bypass in 2002, but it went
wrong, and stomach acid began rotting my teeth.
I've had several jobs since, but none with medical
insurance, so I've not been able to see a dentist
to get it fixed," she told The Independent. "I've
not been able to chew food for as long as I can
remember. I've been living on soup, and noodles,
and blending meals in a food mixer. I'm in
constant pain. Normally, it would cost $5,000 to
fix it. So if I have to wait a week to get treated
for free, I'll do it. This will change my life."

Along the hall, Liz Cruise was one of scores of
people waiting for a free eye exam. She works for
a major supermarket chain but can't afford the
$200 a month that would be deducted from her
salary for insurance. "It's a simple choice: pay
my rent, or pay my healthcare. What am I supposed
to do?" she asked. "I'm one of the working poor:
people who do work but can't afford healthcare and
are ineligible for any free healthcare or
assistance. I can't remember the last time I saw a
doctor."

Although the Americans spend more on medicine than
any nation on earth, there are an estimated 50
million with no health insurance at all. Many of
those who have jobs can't afford coverage, and
even those with standard policies often find it
doesn't cover commonplace procedures. California's
unemployed - who rely on Medicaid - had their
dental care axed last month.

Julie Shay was one of the many, waiting to slide
into a dentist's chair where teeth were being
drilled in full view of passers-by. For years, she
has been crossing over the Mexican border to get
her teeth done on the cheap in Tijuana. But
recently, the US started requiring citizens
returning home from Mexico to produce a passport
(previously all you needed was a driver's
license), and so that route is now closed. Today
she has two abscesses and is in so much pain she
can barely sleep. "I don't have a passport, and I
can't afford one. So my husband and I slept in the
car to make sure we got seen by a dentist. It
sounds pathetic, but I really am that desperate."

"You'd think, with the money in this country, that
we'd be able to look after people's health
properly," she said. "But the truth is that the
rich, and the insurance firms, just don't realise
what we are going through, or simply don't care.
Look around this room and tell me that America's
healthcare don't need fixing."