I agree that the ER should just be for emergencies. The problem is that there isn't anywhere else where you can get same-day care for many types of needs. My s

I agree that the ER should just be for emergencies. The problem is that there isn't anywhere else where you can get same-day care for many types of needs. My spouse has some minor heart issues. She wasn't feeling well one day and went to urgent care, but urgent care didn't have the equipment to assess her and rule out any major concerns. Urgent care suggested seeing a cardiologist, but they also said she should go to the ER. Of course seeing a cardiologist on the same day, or even within a week, is virtually impossible. After talking about it, we decided to go to the ER because of the literal life-threatening consequences of ignoring a potentially big issue. We go to the ER, and she waits for hours for them to run some basic tests. The tests come back negative, and the ER medical staff treated her like she shouldn't be in the ER. And they aren't wrong... but what's the alternative? When there's a 90% chance you're OK, but a 10% chance of a serious issue, and you have nowhere else to go to rule it out? Urgent care tells you to go to the ER, but you can't weigh how much that's them covering their own liability VS genuine medical advice. Then you go to the ER and they wonder why you're at the ER.