We really need to return to the Public Health Service to treat the indigent and the uninsurables, or anyone else that doesn’t have a regular doctor. It would be run like a walk-in clinic with a triage system for treating emergencies. The public health hospital should be located near the private hospital to avoid people just showing up at the private hospital because it is closer.
There is a new kid on the block....... Doc’s in a box.
The concept is to provide walk in service in a reasonable time. I think that for most less than mortal medical care they are a good solution. They are the market, not the government.
I would argue that they as nongovernmental entities they can provide better care at cheaper prices, especially if run by a major hospital.
Health departments ultimately become political and a waste ground for failed or near failed health care professionals. They get bogged down in money battles and all sorts of bureaucratic governmental woes.
The problem becomes payment. Any suggestion I would make is likely to be wrong but plastic cards can be issued to assure admittance and payment. These patients now clog emergency rooms tht don’t get paid. The REpublican Obamacare replacement will include a method to accomplish this beyond the current chaos.