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Only if the hospital is state run. In WA the University of Washington hospital routinely runs losses because of this. Private hospitals can give you the bare mi
by optimiz3 7y ago
Only if the hospital is state run. In WA the University of Washington hospital routinely runs losses because of this. Private hospitals can give you the bare minimum and kick you out the door.
- koheripbal 7y agoThe "bare minimum" required by law is still "doing whatever is required to save you life". They cannot legally kick you out if you are not stable.
- zie 7y agoexcept they (the doctors at the hospital doing whatever is required to save your life) get to decide what "stable" means. I imagine for many doctors that get into the profession because they care about their fellow humans, the answer is sane, but I imagine there are still plenty of for-profit hospitals/doctors whose idea of "stable" is much lower.
- optimiz3 7y agoStable is subjective. It's also common for non-state hospitals to say "outside our expertise; transfer to state run-hospital". Thing is the state hospitals will actually try to cure you; and they are fairly good at it. Harborview (part of University of Washington) is the only L1 trauma center in the region. For-profit hospitals stick it to the taxpayers by doing this. It's a good argument for some form of universal healthcare, since we're paying one way or another.
- sgent 7y agoBut stable doesn't mean (for instance) treating your very treatable brain cancer after discharge. They will remove the tumor causing falling and doziness, but won't provide radiation / chemo follow-up until its terminal and you have to be inpatient.