Reuters reported on October 21, 2008 that the uninsured are not the reason for the overcrowed Emergency Rooms. Here is a snippet from the report:
Contrary to what many believe, people without medical insurance are not the primary cause of the overcrowding that is typical in emergency rooms at US hospitals, new research indicates.
"There is a commonly held belief that uninsured patients abuse the emergency department, coming in for 'non-urgent' complaints, are overwhelming the system. This is simply not true," lead author Dr. Manya F. Newton told Reuters Health.
On the other hand, the assumption that increasing numbers of uninsured patients are being seen in ERs is, in fact, true, according to the report in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association.
Crowding in the ER is due to many things, including an increased amount of ER use by everyone, fewer emergency departments, and fewer inpatient beds, Newton explained. "People without insurance tend to use the emergency department less than any other group, and when they present they tend to be sicker."
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