A new study takes on the argument that uninsured patients are a major factor behind emergency room overcrowding. The report, by the American College of Emergency Physicians, finds that the uninsured make up only 15 percent of emergency room visits. The problem, the authors conclude, has more to do with the shortage of hospital beds and changing usage patterns in the healthcare system than it does to do with the uninsured.
The data is leading some observers to argue that the significance of the ER problem has been overstated. "We often focus on the ER as the problem, when the ER is a symptom of the problem," comments Diane Jacobson of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
- see this Los Angeles Times article