Lion Hearted Man
Eternal Newbie
no I am NOT talking about the ERs I am talking about like the places that you pay $5 for. Although, I do wish people would only go to the ERs for EMANGERIES this way they would not be near as jammed. Some of them, are actually FORCING people to start doing that. If you do not offer it at all you will not have it going too far and you will not have people once they get sick abusing it and staying alive when they know NOTHING can be done.
What, pray tell, is an EMANGERY?
I'll try once more: uninsured people often go to the ER because they have a devastating complication of a, up until that point, silent chronic condition such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, or diabetes. These immediate flare-ups that bring them to the ER are often treatable, but the patient won't have the same quality of life afterwards. A diabetic may have their foot amputated. An atherosclerosis patient may have a heart attack. Whatever. End result: the ER docs save their lives but unfortunately the patient is very far in their chronic disease. (The patient is not, however, "terminal". They still have a great shot at a decent living after surviving this acute situation.)
This could have been prevented. If this uninsured patient was in fact insured, they'd have a primary care doctor they would meet with who would screen them routinely and appropriately. They would get the diabetes and blood pressure under control. They'd address lifestyle issues. It is highly likely that they'd prevent the gangrenous foot, the aortic dissection, or the heart attack. This saves money in the long-term, and increases quality of life.
Does that make sense? This is why preventive care is important.
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