You're an idiot. You think it's funny to waste hospital resources, delay the treatment of people with more serious problems, and exploit the system just because you disagree with the new health care laws? What is funny about any of that? How does that help anything at all?

What makes you think people are going to "cram in just to spite the mandatory requirement?" Besides, if a person is uninsured or can't pay, an ER still won't refuse treatment. So stomp your feet and have your little tantrum, but please don't get in the way of someone who needs medical attention instead of someone who just wants validation.

Just as an FYI, kemcha, hospital emergency rooms are already required to see every patient that comes in, regardless of their ability to pay. That's been a law for a long time. Healthcare reform has nothing to do ER crowding.

This person probably will do exactly as he says, and so will many others. Whats FUNNY is that hospitals keep lists- YES THEY DO, of individuals and families that continually suck unnecessary resources, just like the traveling drug seeker lists. So...when this person shows up with a legitimate emergency, he'll be moved to the back of the line...to wait...and wait...and if we're lucky...die waiting.

You can only "cry wolf" so many times before it bites you in the ass.

aren't these decisions already being made by triage nurses? if you come into the ER bleeding, chest pains, or unconscious you get seen before the guy with a headache and stubbed toe right?

One would hope that if people have health insurance of some form that rather than going to an ER for the flu, sprain, sinus/ear infection, etc they will go to one of the many, many emergent care clinics that have popped up all over the place in past years. The problem has been if people did not have a health insurance card they had to pay up front for their care. If they do not have the money then that presents a problem..... no payment, no treatment. They chose then to go to an ER since there the requirement is they must treat all that enter the system.

I hope we Americans can learn new tricks. This will not be a hard one. This is one aspect of health reform that may well work to fixing the ER overuse problem.

Maybe once all legal citizens have health care they can remove the law that hospitals have to treat everyone. That might help stem the abuse somewhat from illegals. Could help save quite a few $$

Here is a thought...... get a job!

Unemployment is at 40%?

Hey Kemcha29 - There is a reason you're unemployed. There is also a reason you won't be employed again. Look in the mirror dumb$het.

Oh, and by the way, why is it that some bitter unemployed people always seem to think the unemplyment rate is so much higher (40% - what a joke!) than it really is? Sorry idiot, but the vast majority of Americans are doing just fine. The market is way up. Portfolios have rebounded (for those smart enough to have stayed in the market and keep saving). Sucks to be you I guess.

In Texas, and in other border states, a lot of the overcrowding in ERs is because of illegal aliens who use the ER as a clinic for themselves and their huge families. If the government would do its job and deport all illegal aliens, we'd have at least less crowding. It might not solve the whole problem, but it would be a good start.

Let me guess, republican?

US Citizen Tax Payer, party affiliation has nothing to do with the fleecing of US Citizens by Illegal Aliens and their anchor babies.

Our Congress, Senate and current President are failing to protect the interests and welfare of US Citizens. Past Presidents are just as guilty.

I'm a nurse and I know the ER's are full of people who don't have insurance and go there for minor health issues, and of course, then never pay because the costs are exorbitant in hospitals compared to urgent care clinics and doctor's offices. When the government sponsored rules about health care coverage kicks in for all those people, they will be able to visit their primary physician or urgent care office, and their insurance will cover most of the cost....they will only have a small co-pay like the rest of us who have insurance, instead of going into bankruptcy to pay a hospital bill. I'm not sure why anyone would want to go to a hospital ER for minor ailments or injuries when they can get the care they need at an urgent care "Doc-In-The-Box" quickly and inexpensively.....especially when they have insurance of any type........where you can be in and out in 30 minutes.

Not sure anything will fix the problem in many boarder city hospitals. The ER are loaded with "illegals". It is very unfortunate that the law is the way it is. I would be giving them ambulance rides back across the boarder. Even though it is fairly inexpensive for treatment in mexico they know they can walk across a boarder crossing usually legally go to a US hospital and steal from the taxpayer and then walk back across.

I just wish urgent care clinics were open longer hours. Went to the ER very early in the morning with a cut that ended up needing 23 stitches. This was during the swine flu thing and there were so many people they had people in the edge of a gift shop. They would come out and announce stuff in Spanish every few minutes and english once in a while.

Too bad for the hospital they made me wait 3 hrs, long enough that i knew the urgent care clinic would be open. Saved me a lot too since the deductible is $300 for the ER and only $35 for urgent care.

John, Don't think for a minute that illegals aren't getting free ambulance rides across the border, and that come from an Arizona relative of mine. I was in an ER back in '72, and guy I was sitting next to had a crushed foot due to some bar bells falling off of a shelf. He was there three hours in pain waiting for help, but the desk kept taking one Mexican after another with minor issues. If you're white you better have a gaping head wound in order to get help, and that is no guarantee.

You are a sick individual! Hopefully they will weed out your type and charge you with a crime against society. You sound like a spoiled brat, if you can't have it your way you will stomp your feet and holler until you do! No wonder costs are so high, there must be more like you that breed on. Sick, sick, sick!

counselortroi2

In Texas, and in other border states, a lot of the overcrowding in ERs is because of illegal aliens who use the ER as a clinic for themselves and their huge families. If the government would do its job and deport all illegal aliens, we'd have at least less crowding. It might not solve the whole problem, but it would be a good start.

I work in the ER in a large Texas city. Yes there are illegals crowding the ER but I do see equal amounts of uninsured Americans too. And many more who have absolutely no reason to be in the ER filling up a valuable slot for the needed. You know them. Seen some who demand to be seen quicker to get their meds refilled (could have gotten it done within 30 mins at Walgreens instead of waiting 8hrs at ER), colds that should have been seen at a clinic but don't have money to pay for over the counter meds or get seen at a clinic. Stomach ache that been going on for weeks but decided that their illness is more important than someone who has a heart attack or been in a car wreck.

I must concur! I work in an inner city ER located in South California. In our ER, we actually run a section the staff call "clinic". We have a whole section dedicated to "urgent-care type" patients. These two types of patients are the most demanding and keep me from taking care of those that really need attention. Their most common complaint? Wait time. If you are well enough to yell and scream about how long you have been sitting, you are well enough to wait. I am more concerned with the guy in corner that is too sick to be demanding.

In our ER, we are filled with people that can't pay. It's a huge percentage of our patients. I can live with this. What I can't stand is the illegal that refuses to provide us with basic information. I can't tell you how many times I have seen one person using another name, DOB, etc. Don't these people know that medical records are computerized and we can check? Unfortunately, no matter what they tell us, we are not allowed to question it.

If you think that ERs are crowded now, just wait for universal healthcare to hit CA. We don't have half the number of family doctors or urgent care that are needed. Where will they end up? In my triage line.

I agree - my mother is an RN and unless I'm bleeding from the ears she tells me to stay out of emergency rooms. I guess since an ER won't refuse treatment due to inability to pay, some people see it as their only option which is a shame.

The problem with walk-in clinics and urgent care centers is that they are very expensive (often nearly as expensive as a hospital visit would be) and are rarely covered by insurance. They demand full payment up front. They're also not easy to come by. My town (in suburban Philadelphia) didn't have walk-in clinics until only two or three years ago.

Also, and this is just my experience, I was treated terribly at the urgent care places that I went to. I was treated like a pill-seeking junkie and left to wait for long periods of time while they checked every pharmacy in the damn country to see what medications I had been prescribed in the past. One time, because I had a painkiller prescription OVER A YEAR AGO, I got a long lecture about drug abuse and how I shouldn't waste their time. What the hell kind of s--t is that?! I came to get my possibly broken hand looked at, not a goddamn lecture.

I would like to see affordable urgent care centers with payment plans, and which are readily available across the country. And they MUST be staffed with compassionate, nonjudgmental doctors who actually care about their patients.

All the walk in's and Urgent Care non ER clinics have been closed down here for years. It's a shame.

Bull...minute clinics are excellent and are gaining popularity. Check out CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid, etc. Seen by a PA in most cases, sometimes an RN, for simple procedures. They are coded and billed the same to insurance and reimbursed the same.

There's also going to be a decline in MD's graduating and increase in PA's and RN's...good fields to get into! Two year degree and 90-100k starting salary!

yea someone with a 2 year degree, thats who I want treating my family!

MmmMmmBeer

There's also going to be a decline in MD's graduating and increase in PA's and RN's...good fields to get into! Two year degree and 90-100k starting salary!

I've noticed over the past couple years that I now have to see a PA (not an RN) with an associates degree before I can actually see the doc. I have a person with very limited physician knowledge making a diagnosis and communicating to the doctor.

The doctor then walks in for a 2 minute consult.

What a bunch of crap. I dont even get to see an RN anymore? I am to the point now where I ask if the specialist (or whatever) uses PA's - if they do I go down the list until I find one where I can actually have a conversation with a doctor. Not someone with an associates degree.

My niece is going to school to be a PA and my daughter is going to be an RN- the PA requires more credit hours and hands on experiance. I think the 2 are almost comparable.

Mike - You'll be disappointed to learn, then, that most RNs in the field today have associates degrees, not BSNs.

It is my understaning that PA programs are very demanding and certainly not a two year degree. Don't you need a Bachelors plus 2 more years of college? Perhaps someone who really knows for sure could post.

Also, in the state I live in, most hospitals require RNs to be BSNs.

Nurse practitioners have a minimum of a masters degree - 6 years of education, not 2. Where I live, they will soon be required to have a doctorate degree. I believe the PA program is just as stringent because they play a similar role in healthcare. I love when people spout off "facts" like they know what they are talking about. People with 2 year degrees are not assessing and treating patients.

That's what I thought ES,R.N. Both nurse practitioner and PA college programs are very demanding. You have to be very smart to get accepted.

To Mike416 - what a boob you are. A two year associate degree!? I don't THINK SO.....

That's impressive that most hospitals require the BSN as opposed to an associates degree...I personally think the BSN is so much more helpful and teaches the science rather than just the practice. I was planning to attend a bridge program to get my BSN before changing career paths, so I know there is a sharp increase in Associate's Degrees for RNs...the career path is very narrow (much harder to get a Nurse Manager type position, business position, etc), but for patient interaction it does the job.

Yes that's correct, you do need a bachelor's first before a 2 year PA program. I didn't think that needed to be mentioned...just like you need a bachelor's before an 8 year MD or 4 year dental program.

Deb and Mike...the training they receive is exactly what is needed for most out-patient procedures, which is usually what you go to your physician for these days. The PA diagnosed my appendicitis precisely because the MD couldn't take more than 2 minutes to see me. I'd rather see the PA than the MD for most ailments. This of course does not apply to serious problems or surgery.

In this country we don't value doctors(MDs) highly anymore. We think we know more than them because of webMD and commercials we watch on TV. So how about instead of wasting the physician's "precious" time on the sniffles and giving them all our health care dollars, we let the well-trained educated PAs and RNs do better jobs at a fraction of the price? That alone will help lower HC costs!

MmmMmmBeer

There's also going to be a decline in MD's graduating and increase in PA's and RN's...good fields to get into! Two year degree and 90-100k starting salary!

I would like to know where a RN can make 90-100k starting salary because here in Texas, they make half that.

It takes 3 yrs to be a RN. 1 yr of prereqs and 2 yrs for associates, 5 yrs if you looking for BSN. The nurse you probably met was a nurse practicitioner. They require more than just 2 yrs. And for PAs? It is 6 yrs total.

had-enough470242: Minimum 6 years for nurse practicioner (ARNP), also.....must have BSN to be accepted, plus most have a few years of clinical experience in a hospital, too, before they are accepted into the program. The ARNP's usually have way more experience and clinical education than PA's (who also have a masters degree). In the "olden days" there were some physician assistant programs that were associate degrees, but I don't believe those are around anymore, or accepted for licensure.

I'm an RN for 38 years.....I work 40 hours a week and make above $70,000 but it is doubtful anyone would make 90-100 grand as a regular RN. Most would make less than what I do, because I am at the top of the scale in my area .....over 20 years at the same hospital. Ones best chance of making 6 figures is as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, which is masters prepared after at least 2 years critical care experience in a hospital.

MIKE! You really need to check your facts before you post. ARNP's (the registered nurses who staff the minute clinics in the drugstore, grocery store, etc) have a masters level degree in nursing whose education is specifically oriented towards assesment and diagnosis.......in fact equal to or more than many physicians are capable of. PA's (although different states may have different requirements) are masters prepared, also, although in my experience in Florida, are more task oriented in their diagnosing and treatment....more "following the recipe" than complete assessment of all aspects of the patient. If you would take the chance in having the ARNP at your doctor's office instead of the pysician doing your annual physical, you would probably find the ARNP takes much more time and does a more thorough exam than the physician does. As far as real urgent care centers are concerned (as opposed to the minute clinics)....there are some out there that still only staff with doctors exclusively, if that is your preference.

However....urgent care clinics are NOT there to hand out narcotic pain medicines. Most make it policy to not ever give prescriptions for narcotic pain pills, so don't waste your time for that. Use your ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

Val , you are so right. I have a Nurse Practioner and I get so much better care than with my primary physician. She takes the time to listen , and more issues are resolved that way.

That's an example of unintentional misuse - Emergency Rooms are called that for a reason. Of course, If you were unable to breathe or turning blue or something, then it's absolutely the right time to go.

In the emergency rooms I've been to, it wouldn't be that big a deal though because the real emergencies are rushed in ahead of coughs, broken ankles, high fevers, etc.

A lot of issues I see in Emergency Rooms are things that when they checked in with the nurses station they should have been referred to urgent care/walk-in appointments.

My fiance first went to urgent care for his tummy ache and they told him to go to emergency because his apendix needed to be removed immediately. We got to the emergency room and they were swamped with non-emergencies. He waited 3-4 hours in extreme pain, I had to track down someone (he could no longer walk by this time), get very peeved and remind them that they were supposed to be ready for him when we got there. After that they finally got him upstairs. If all those non-emergency people were directed to urgent care upstairs or another office he would not have suffered for so long.

The doctor at the urgent care should have called ahead to inform them of your expected arrival. That is what the doc at my usual urgent care clinic does so you can get right in....yours already made the diagnosis so they could have taken your fiance right in.

Depending on what you went in for and at what time, I think alot of the waiting is for test results and/or radiologists to read x-rays. Sometimes you need to wait for an on-call specialist to get there.

If you are NOT really a life threatening emergency, yup, YOU are going to lay there for your sniffle while the REAL emergencys are being taken care of.

Yes, of course sometimes it is waiting for an x-ray tech etc., but not always. The last time I was in an emergency room myself, I had a broken ankle. X-rays were done promptly, the doctor interpretated them, so no radiologist looked at them that day. In the cubicles in my vicinity were a young girl with a rusty nail in her foot and a 20 something guy with a piece of something in his eye. There were 2 others in the room, I do not know the exact nature of their problems, but apparently non life-threatening also.

I could also see clearly into the nurse's station as well as hear the conversation. The staff, doctors, nurses, techs and aides were chatting. They were not waiting for any reports or other personnel. They just decided when they would actually get up and treat us, chart and write up prognosis and treatment information to take home with us. None of us had life-threatening injuries and since I had a view of the entire emergency room, neither did anyone else. (I've worked in health care as an aide and later in finance{fortunately not at the facility I was at}- I am well aware that one must wait for a life-threatening injury or condition to be taken care of!)

A hospital that charges hourly rates? Interesting....is it cheaper if you get the day rates rather than the night rates?..and...do you check in using your real name...or do you just check in as John Doe?

I'm just wondering.

NightNurse-a bit snotty aren't you? Just because you have not heard of this practice does not mean it does not exist! And yes, I use my own name, if you had actually read the post, you would see I HAVE insurance!

Emma3: Nightnurse is being sarcastic........ER's do not charge by the hour.....at least not for wait times. Insurance pays a set fee for diagnosis by contract with the hospital. They can "charge" more, but they won't get paid more than the contracted amount. Same goes for hospital admission or surgery.....they receive the contracted amount for the diagnosis.......a patient staying longer than necessary actually costs the hospital more, the hospital does not make more money.

Yes Emma3, you missed the sarcasm. No, hospitals don't charge by the hour. They do get a set amount of money for your diagnosis...the faster they get you out of the place, and the less money they spend treating you, the more money they get to keep. My limited business sense therefore tells me that they want to get you seen by a doctor, and get you out as quick as they can.

There is no benefit to holding on to pissed off people who do not belong there, using up time and resources that are better used on those who have real emergencies.

Washington State here, semi-rural Community Hospital in a large x-industrial town that is trying to be a city. I must admit this is what our ER and state pay "Sea-Mar Clinics" offices look like. I DO find it appalling that these places are always full of...those people- yet our lovely state just took away multi- benefits from aged, disabled and mentals, AMERICAN aged, disabled and mentals of all colors and nationalities- LEGAL AMERICANS.

And before anyone asks- YES, we KNOW these are illegals, we have lists of employers that hire them "under the table" to work on state lands while the women stay home and pump out more babies and somehow bypass the welfare requirements to suck up OUR resources. YES there are MANY AMERICANS here that want these jobs FOR MINIMUM WAGE- but the employers don't have to pay min. for the ones they hire. YES this has been brought before city, county and state gov...and we're told it's NOT THEIR PROBLEM- go to the Feds.

Maybe once all legal citizens have health care they can remove the law that hospitals have to treat everyone. That might help stem the abuse somewhat from illegals. Could help save quite a few $$, But then again I can't see the government seeing the logic in that.

Totally Agree!!!

I would be afraid of a hospital that ignored human beings suffering. They do take an oath for a reason, and if they can be that cold, I don't want them treating me because they won't care if I live or die.

In this case, as in all these cases, racism and cruelty go hand in hand. You're an @!$%#.

Ecua, This issue is not about racism, it's about illegals sapping the financial resources of hospitals. Would it make you feel better if the illegals were Canadian or British. This country cannot continue to support the ever increasing number of illegals. The bottom will fall out soon if states are allowed to file bankruptcy, which is being debated at this very moment. Considering the Democratic parties penchant for "spreading the wealth", they're going to have the rug pull out from under them if that proposal is approved. Democrats in California are so anti-business I can't imagine where the money is supposed come from to continue on the course that they are on.

Ecua, you are clueless.

If you personally want to support illegal aliens, please, take them all home with you. American taxpayers should have a choice in the matter. We're all struggling to feed our families, yet the government is stealing our money to pay for all of these services for people that have absolutely no legal right to be here, while our military, elderly, mentally ill, and just plain poor AMERICANS get nothing!

You should be outraged at the least, and expect Americans to be in the front of the line no matter what the illness. I'm so sick of condescending Anti-American attitudes and screaming race when you need to feel part of the conversation and can't think of anything else. Get a clue--ILLEGAL is not a RACE!!!

What we have been talking about here is just the cost of their health care! Try looking into the overall monies that are being spent on feeding them, food stamps, and educating their kids, too! This'll scare the daylights out of you! They get rent subsidies, too from what I understand and if true it is outrageous!

People are losing their houses--many of them are retirees--because they can't afford the taxes. Here in NY, your average ranch-style house on a 50x100ft lot will cost you $15K a year in taxes! Most of it goes to Medicaid for illegal aliens, and the rest goes to school taxes. School taxes have to pay for extra teachers (with pensions) and bilingual programs for illegal aliens. My kids are forced to learn Spanish in kindergarten, it's part of the curriculum! My daughter has dyslexia & a learning disability, she's in 5th grade and reads on a 2nd grade level at best, yet she's forced to learn Spanish & Spanish culture. I'm no racist, but I'm sick of it being forced down my throat at MY expense!

I'm sick of seeing elderly people that worked their entire lives & raise their families here, lose their houses because of excessive taxes due to illegal aliens. I'm tired of American War Veterans not getting the care they need, but every pregnant illegal gets red carpet treatment, prenatal care, parenting classes in Spanish, rent/utility subsidies, food stamps, free prescriptions, school lunches, etc. while our elderly are eating cat food!!!

As you decided that your problem could wait until the next day, I have to ask, why did you then go to the emergency room at 7 AM, and not your own doctor at 8?

my turn, How do you know if Sandra didn't have to make it through night without sleep? What ever her affliction was could not have been enjoyable, and being ignored in a waiting room adds even more stress to the situation. I have a personal doctor, but that doesn't mean that he is on call 24/7 just for me. Maybe her doctor was already inundated with patients at the time. You should hope you never find yourself in a similar situation.

Robert - I would assume that you will have an ICE agent at every hospital emergency room so you can efficiently decide who deserves humane treatment and who doesn't? Or is your broken arm more important then a potential illegals heart attack. We have serious health care and immigration problems. Why don't you step back and let the serious minded on all sides of the issue try to find a solution.

Wow Robert...and how would you identify who is/isn't illegal? Would you demand to see their papers first as they come stumbling and bloody into the ER?

you're a f__ing idiot..what the hell is "deporyation" and "seperated"? go back to 8th grade, if you even got that far. you must be a republican, too. your comments are typical of semi-literate idiots, the backbone of the republican party, know-it-alls who can't even spell their name.

Robert, do you really want busy emergency room staff spending time determining who is legal and who is not, rather than providing care?

That's right robert, we should throw that damned Mexican having a heart attack right out on his ass,let him die at the curb, and treat that good ole American with a foreign body in his ear first.

(By the way robert, do you check the papers of all the people you hire at your home BEOFRE you let them do work?)

Obviously, none of you are actually dealing with the problem like Robert is, yet feel the need to jump on the bandwagon. Consider yourself sheltered from the problem, and try to open your eyes and learn something instead of screaming 'Republican", and 'bad speller'. I don't think there's any clear-cut winning political parties, they all worship the almighty dollar, and it has nothing to do with the issue.

Here in NY, sometimes it's hard to find someone speaking English in the ER. There can easily be 20 people in there taking up seats, and it's usually a bunch of drunken illegals with everyone they know in this country with them--cousins, kids, co-workers, you name it. It's always something minor like the flu. I had to wait almost an hour while hemorraging 2 days after giving birth, while someone's baby was treated ahead of me for diaper rash.

Don't criticise if you don't understand the situation. It's a serious problem, and it's unnecessary.

It's easy enough to see who has a SS# & who doesn't.

Not sure what ER here in New York YOU are going to ...where they treat a diaper rash BEFORE an acute hemorrhage, but you need to find yourself a new hospital to frequent. Who are you looking for to speak English....the staff, or your fellow ER patients? Because I am sure you can find a staff member to speak your language. You sound like a xenophobic who is embellishing the truth just a bit. You just might be one of those people who think we should let all those filthy foreigners drop dead on the curb while we care for those of us who belong to the "MASTER RACE". Perhaps you should look up Hitler...you two might have a few things in common.

Again, don't criticise what YOU don't experience.

The hospital was a clinic that worked on a sliding scale. I just got laid off from my job at the time after 8 years, and lost my insurance while pregnant. Most of the people going there were pregnant illegal aliens, with 'free' health care that taxpayers are forced to pay for. Many people don't realize this, but if you are pregnant and in the country illegally, you get "emergency" health care--free prenatal, prescriptions, WIC, all testing & services, visits from home health care nurses, hospital stays, etc. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.Your baby is now an American, and you get welfare for the next 18 years as the legal guardian of an American citizen. American citizens are FORCED to pay for this. The volume was so enormous, that they were surprised that anyone needed English. Even most of the admission forms were in Spanish. I don't need to embellish, and the hospital has since gone bankrupt and closed.

As for your stupid xenophobic coments, get a real argument. Both of my parents are LEGAL immigrants. There is no MASTER RACE moron. Everyone that wants to come here LEGALLY, WELCOME!!! But taxpayers shouldn't have to support them, or get pushed to the back of the line to make room for them on a regular basis. My parents had to get sponsors so they could not qualify for ANY kind of welfare. They had to learn ENGLISH and take tests on their abilities to read, write & speak it, as well as AMERICAN history. They also had to vow to defend this country at all costs, and pledge their loyalty to the United States of America. We are a melting pot, united by one loyalty--the United States of America, and ONE language. It avoids confusion.

You are a sad excuse for an American. Sounds like YOU have more in common with Hitler than me. I don't care where the hell your country of origin is, as long as you are American, or are trying to be one while using taxpayer money. Everyone is struggling to support their own families--we don't need state mandates forcing us to pay for non-Americans. Just because YOU don't experience things that others do on a regular basis doesn't mean they don't exist or that anyone is a Nazi. It makes you an ignorant troll.

You might want to find another argument to support your cause. When the only logical response you can come up with is to call people xenophobes & nazis, it's blindingly clear that you have no clue what the actual issue is, and you just need some attention so you can feel included. If you want to be included, why not just find out why people are angry, and be part of the conversation in an intelligent manner?

Your comment about "using" emergency rooms is very true. Many people view them as medical clinics. I do have to say that becuase of that, my son who was 11 was delayed medical treatment for a real emergency. He fell from a tree and gashed hi head on a Friday around 6pm. We called his pediatrician who we met at his office. By the time we got there 15 minutes later, he was still bleeding from a scalp laceration and was having trouble standing and starting to slur. The dr sent us to the hospital with an emergency order for a ct and evaluation. It took until 11:30 that night to even get into the room. Then there was a mad dash because he had a brain bleed. My son suffered with a life threatening brain injury because it was flu season. The er staff apoligized and said they were sorry, but it was flu season.

When I lived out west, the ER had nor just an ER, but an urgent care clinic. The ER was 24 hours and the clinic was from 3pm to 8am. You checked in at the same desk, was triaged immediately and then sent to the appropriate place. You may have a 3 hour wait at the clinic, but the ER was instant with no wait. What a wonderful way to do things, too bad more hospitals didn't see the value in this.

Wonderful and practical idea.

Every time I call my dr to see him I am told no appts available for 4 weeks. If I didnt want to make that appt for my current issue, then I should go to the ER. I refuse to go to my hospitals ER during the day because I know that other people had the same issue as me. So instead I go to another ER thats closer and faster. I can't go to Urgent Care clinic because its to expensive. Of course sometimes I decide to just wait it out, but most of the time I need to see a dr I end up going to emergency room because that is the only way to see someone.

I don't know what health care bill you are looking at but Odumbo healthcare will cause me to be unemployed. The only thing good about it is that people with pre-existing conditions can't be denied health insurance. But what difference is that going to make since I have already seen many articles and posts about people who can't afford the premiums, so they still go without.

Forcing people to buy somehting they can't afford is only going to cause further damage.

What American people don't realize about the new healthcare plan is that you aren't going to get great doctors and efficient service. There's no incentive to be a great doctor or facility, all medical care turns into one giant clinic! No one cares for the most part, you don't get to pick your doctor, you might never see the same one twice. You don't get answers, you get 'we didn't find anything', and whatever tests you need done aren't covered.

My family is from Canada, with 'free' healthcare. (The taxes are astronomical to pay for it.) It doesn't matter what time your appointment is, you can sit there all day. Mammogram? The waiting list can be a year. If you find a lump, it doesn't help you, you still need to wait, and breast cancer treatment isn't any better. Many people die waiting for treatment. Wouldn't want to be on an organ-waiting list.

A lot of tests get denied because the government won't cover it. We're trillions in debt, do you really want the government in charge of your healthcare?! It's awful, you have no idea the hell that awaits.

Careful what you wish for, and pray to God you don't get it.

wrong on the legal status bit, hospital are not law enforcement and they cannot give out patinet info to anyone especially police without a warrant. Duhhhh

You'll feel that way until someone you love needs help.

A big part of the issue is that uninsured people don't have normal primary care physicians, so they end up using the ER for their primary care. ER overcrowding can be traced to the failure of the current health insurance system.

Further, many of the uninsured can't pay for their expensive ER care. Guess who pays? Everyone else in the hospital who has insurance is charged for indigent care, because the hospital can't turn away people who are legitimately sick.

The cost of uninsured Americans is overcrowded ERs, and higher health insurance premiums for the rest of us. If everyone had health insurance, there would be fewer ER visits, less overcrowding, and reduced premiums for those of us who carry health insurance.

ARNP's (Adult Registered Nurse Practicioners) can diagnose, suture, prescribe, etc. It is a Masters level program, for Registered Nurses (RN's). PA''s (at least in Florida) must have a bachelors degree first (doesn't matter much what the bachelors degree major is), then enter a Masters degree program for Physician Assistant. State licensure is required for both, so there may be different requirements depending on the state.