They already are jamming up the ER. I dont understand that, you have a cold, go to an urgent care center not the ER, they still have to treat you once you walk in the door.
I ran into a mom carrying her daughter to the car the other night. The child had been hit in the knee with a batted softball. She was wailing and being very dramatic about the whole deal. (9 year old) The mom wanted to know if I were a nurse or some kind of medical professional because she wanted to know if the injury warranted taking the child to the ER. I suggested Urgent Care because the injury was likely just a bruise. The mom explained that her two children have Medicaid for insurance because she can’t afford to put them on her insurance. She had them on her insurance until the Obamacare mandates made it unaffordable. I don’t know about the dad’s insurance. Mom and dad are divorced. Anywho, Medicaid will not pay for a visit to Urgent Care, but it will cover an ER visit. Urgent care without insurance would cost $95 or more depending on what they had to do. I told mom that the child was likely just bruised and to go home for a few hours to see if drama girl was better. Sure enough, she was.
I am sure different states have different policies for Medicaid. Also, so many people believe they must go to the doctor for every little thing or they will die!