A videotape aired on national television showing a patient dying in the waiting room of the Kings County Medical Center in Brooklyn last month has provoked a wave of revulsion. It is not surprising that the entire focus of the official response remains on punishment for those with immediate responsibility, along with a few minor procedural changes. It has also been reported that federal and city authorities are considering criminal charges in connection with the death of Ms. Green. This horrifying incident calls for more than outrage, however. This death begs for careful consideration of what it reveals about the health care system and more broadly about life in New York City and society at large.