This 5 page paper tackles the subject of the high priced emergency room and provides a proposal for patients to take on more responsibility for the cost of their treatment. Immigration as a problem is also noted. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: RT13_SA042ER.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
try, accepting patients without insurance in an emergency, but what results is high inflation in the medical sector with little relief for either patients, hospitals or physician owned practices. In
other words, due to the lack of a practical delivery system, everyone pays the price. While there are many abuses of the health care system, inclusive of immigrants coming
to America for free health care, perhaps the most expensive problem is the use of the emergency room. Many people, who cannot afford health insurance or doctors fees end up
in emergency rooms. Why? Although emergency rooms cost more, patients cannot be turned away in a life or death situation. And even undocumented immigrants, due to state and federal laws,
are eligible for medical care if they are pregnant, over the age of 65, or in need of emergent treatment (Leslie, 2000). Because emergency care must be provided, regardless
of a patients financial condition or even their citizenship status, a way to pay for it must be created. Today, the cost of emergency room care is absorbed by taxpayer
funded hospitals coupled with other patients input via insurance plans or higher bills (Silverstein, 1994). While patients do not pay for such costs directly, they do in an indirect way.
The Clinton health care plan did address this issue. The proposal encompassed a plan where expenses would be shared by a larger group of premium payers so costs would drop,
at least theoretically (Silverstein, 1994).In this paradigm, coverage would be purchased through health care alliances which would vary by geographic area (1994). The Clinton plan was never realized, but there
are other ideas in the works. Managed health care reform bills, on the table in recent times, address how emergency care is paid for and who makes the final decisions