2 ms·
Is EMTLA (had to google it, Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) really the problem? Eg, do the costs of covering this "free" treatment make up the majori
by rconti 9y ago
Is EMTLA (had to google it, Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) really the problem? Eg, do the costs of covering this "free" treatment make up the majority of hospital bills we get charged? If our prices are 2-4x other countries, I have a hard time believing that the "real" problem is emergency services for those without coverage. My wife works in a trauma center so I'm well aware of how much they do for the uninsured (along with what they do NOT do for them), but I have a hard time believing the scale is an order of magnitude.
- frgtpsswrdlame 9y agoWhat I mean to say is that there is an original sin in our marketplace and that sin in EMTLA. Our society doesn't really like the idea of the sick and poor dying just outside the ER's doors (like in a truly free market) so we have EMTLA to make sure that doesn't happen. It's also reflective of America's cultural attitudes towards death and the amount of money that is spent buying our loved ones just one more month, week, day. All of which is to say that generally we seem quite uncomfortable with the idea of someone else being able to afford more "life" than we can. So maybe we should just toss the idea of marketizing our healthcare entirely.