“Emergency rooms (at least one’s I’ve seen in Seattle and Los Angeles) have big signs all over the place informing people (in English and Spanish) that they cannot be turned away if they don’t have insurance.”
Does anyone know the intent of that law? Is it to provide EMERGENCY CARE only- i.e, stabilize a heart attack patient, or does the law require that someone with a splinter cannot be turned away?
Seems to me this could be handled in triage....anyone not having EMERGENCY symptoms could be turned away.
Instead they wait in line with everyone else. The only ones sent to the head of the line are those with breathing problems. Emergency rooms still get tied up dealing with these cases, doctors still have to spend their time on them.