OK, Boomer, we are of similar vintage....and when we were kids people only went to the hospital to DIE.
Then something changed, and people went to the hospital and then were shuttled off to the “nursing home” to DIE.
Then something else changed, and people went to the hospital ER for every little ache and pain (especially Sunday evening so they wouldn’t have to go to work on Monday morning) transported by the DPA Taxi aka “ambulance”...and sometimes they were “admitted” but most time “treated and released” (|| “catch and release” on the southern non-border) and sent home until such time as they were truly sick enough to be “admitted” and then shuttled off to the nursing home to DIE.
End of rant.
Then something else changed, and people went to the hospital ER for every little ache and pain (especially Sunday evening so they wouldn’t have to go to work on Monday morning) transported by the DPA Taxi aka “ambulance”...and sometimes they were “admitted” but most time “treated and released” (|| “catch and release” on the southern non-border) and sent home until such time as they were truly sick enough to be “admitted” and then shuttled off to the nursing home to DIE.
Short answer: Medicare and Medicaid. (More medicaid than medicare).
Short but longer answer: Private practice physicians stopped taking new patients and stopped taking patients with Medicaid and Medicare as the government reduced rates back in the 80s. This also begat the pop-up Emergency Care clinic on the corner and eventually into CVS and other so called pharmacy stores like CVS. CVS also started the “We are concerned about your health” so we are going to stop selling cigarettes but the alcohol is in aisle 2 and the junk food is in aisles 3 and 4 and the soda pop is in the cooler.
Wow. You’re right! No one in my extended family ever went to a hospital unless they’d been either badly injured or were deathly ill. I’m continuing that tradition.
Only things I’ve been to the hospital for was a broken leg or a cut bad enough to need stitches. Even so, I’ve had a few cuts that could have used 2-3 stitches but I didn’t bother. I keep butterfly closures on hand. If I get an infection, I go get some fish-biotics from the feed store. Doesn’t make sense to me to go see a doc who, for $100, will tell me what I already know, I have an infection, and then scribble on some paper so I can get the same antibiotics.