Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Cambridge Study: Millions of ‘Uninsurable’, Pt.7 -- High cost of subbing the ER for health insurance.

Previous…

Another significant figure is that, because of not having health insurance, this same group has fallen into the desperation of having to use the ER when they finally do break down and seek medical help. They are 6 times as likely to do this then those who have health insurance. The really sad thing is that our current medical technology has made great strides in the areas of treatment that these people need that would be rendered, but for no health insurance. This is what Dr. Steffie Woolhandler has to say about that: “emergency rooms may provide too little, too late for the millions of uninsured with chronic conditions.”

Dr. Woolhandler explains some major reasons that ER services don’t fit the bill for the chronically ill without health insurance. ER’s don’t have the capacity for the ongoing medical monitoring that is necessary, nor are they staffed to administer and track the steady supply of medications these people require. Neither do they have access to all of extended services and needs that are also ongoing. Her final analysis is that: ““Only national health insurance can fix this broken system and save thousands of lives each year.”

Perhaps the most defeating news is the much higher cost that is taking place by doing things the wrong way. This is a prime case of defaulting to the ‘pound of cure’ for lack of the decision for prevention. As Dr. Wilper explains there is a high price brought about by lack of preventive care for those without health insurance. Latter effects of “chronic illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure,” which result in “emergency room visits, hospitalizations, amputations, kidney failure or worse” could and should be prevented.”

Continued…