Quote:
Originally Posted by FlameOn
|
its this kind of misguided reasoning that convinces those who only understand issues at their most superficial level....
Do hospitals treat those in emergency rooms regardless of insurance? Yes of course they do. Hospitals aren't going to leave people to die on the steps of the emergency room doors after all...
However, people in emergency rooms are really going to the treatment of last resort sort to speak. IF that patient has a life threatening condition, where they are in immediate risk, they will be treated.... if the examination reveals a non-life threatening condition, the hospitals do not have to treat them and they can be referred back to their family physician or another healthcare providers for additional treatment.
US Federal Law ensures that all patients in emergency rooms are examined, but that doesn't mean treated unless they are in immediate peril.
the uninsured simply put off visits to the doctor, or they cannot afford to pay for the prescription medication for their conditions. It becomes a literal 'death spiral', where health simply erodes to that point where one is desperate enough to go to an emergency room...
But by that time, potentially, one's health has declined to the point where their rate of survival may not be that great.... And if one is lucky enough to receive life saving treatment, guess what? You are still getting that bill, and if you can't pay it, they will send collection agencies after you to get their money...
Health insurance is critical because, like routine car maintenance, it is much cheaper to have regular checkups and take on preventative measures in lifestyle compared to major surgical procedures...
so, the notion that people have never died from lack of health insurance is ridiculous. People die all the time because they don't go to their doctor or seek treatment.. and by the time they do it may be too late to do anything anyways.