3 ms·

> ...they get triaged to the bottom of the queue. I can't find any evidence of this happening using Google. Do you have any?

gumby 5y ago
Just talk to anyone who works in an ER. Or read the first link returned by DDG: https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/ https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-th... which looks at the more general case. Key paragraphs to read (in this regard) are “ How does not having coverage affect health care access?” and the immediately following “ What are the financial implications of being uninsured?” Worse is the hospital revenue people intervening in care decisions. There was an expose about this in the NYT a few years ago; as far as I can tell nothing has since changed.
- actually_a_dog 5y ago
  Those two sections say nothing about getting "triaged to the bottom of the queue." As far as "hospital revenue people intervening in care decisions," that doesn't mean people don't get care. It means they may not get super expensive treatments. That certainly may not be the best care, because, all the ER needs to do, legally, is ensure that the patient's condition is non-emergent before they discharge them, but it's completely unrelated to triage. It is, however, a predictable result of hospitals needing to make a profit. Do you have any hints or keywords I could search to find the NYT article?
  - gumby 5y ago
    I can’t find it either because all the links these days are full of COVID discussion. I originally read it because one of my neighbors (a surgeon) mentioned it. It was a few years ago, I think during the Obama administration (when health care system was a hot topic of conversation). I remember being surprised because it mentioned hospitals and interviewed doctors by name. But everybody working in an ER knows this so surely you know someone you can ask who will be more authoritative than some rando like me on the net.
    - actually_a_dog 5y ago
      Ok, that's fair. Thanks for the discussion.

gumby 5y ago

Just talk to anyone who works in an ER. Or read the first link returned by DDG: https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/ https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-th... which looks at the more general case. Key paragraphs to read (in this regard) are “ How does not having coverage affect health care access?” and the immediately following “ What are the financial implications of being uninsured?” Worse is the hospital revenue people intervening in care decisions. There was an expose about this in the NYT a few years ago; as far as I can tell nothing has since changed.

actually_a_dog 5y ago
Those two sections say nothing about getting "triaged to the bottom of the queue." As far as "hospital revenue people intervening in care decisions," that doesn't mean people don't get care. It means they may not get super expensive treatments. That certainly may not be the best care, because, all the ER needs to do, legally, is ensure that the patient's condition is non-emergent before they discharge them, but it's completely unrelated to triage. It is, however, a predictable result of hospitals needing to make a profit. Do you have any hints or keywords I could search to find the NYT article?
- gumby 5y ago
  I can’t find it either because all the links these days are full of COVID discussion. I originally read it because one of my neighbors (a surgeon) mentioned it. It was a few years ago, I think during the Obama administration (when health care system was a hot topic of conversation). I remember being surprised because it mentioned hospitals and interviewed doctors by name. But everybody working in an ER knows this so surely you know someone you can ask who will be more authoritative than some rando like me on the net.
  - actually_a_dog 5y ago
    Ok, that's fair. Thanks for the discussion.