Will Health Insurance Reform Prevent Overuse of Hospital Emergency Rooms?

Will Health Insurance Reform Prevent Overuse of viagra cialis online pharmacy pharmacy Emergency Rooms?

Emergency rooms save millions of lives each year. However, there are occasions when they are used unnecessarily. A large percentage of those cases involve uninsured patients seeking basic medical care, since an ER is legally required to take them in--regardless of their ability to pay. Another group are those who, due to lack of insurance, neglected their health until their conditions became serious enough to require emergency treatment. The latter could be prevented, too.



Supporters of healthcare reform have cited epidemic as a reason to pass their bill. Due to the lack of a steady relationship with a patient, ER doctors often order expensive tests a primary care doctor might avoid through longer discussions and experience with the patients. In addition, hospital facilities have far higher fixed costs than most doctors' offices and clinics. Now that the Obama administration's proposal is law, what will reform do to alleviate the problem?



However, many believe that it will not be a panacea. Indeed, it wasn't in Massachusetts. There is speculation that the previously uninsured had developed a habit of visiting emergency rooms for non-emergency treatments. Whatever the reasons, ER costs rose by 17 percent. The number of visits has also risen by 7 percent since that state's reforms were enacted in 2006.



For one thing, millions of undocumented immigrants will not receive help buying affordable health insurance. They will not be allowed to participate in the regulated exchange markets expected to have cheaper options, even if they use only their own money and do not take any government subsidies. Therefore, this population will still resort to the nation's emergency rooms when they are in need.



Even for those who become newly insured due to the legislation, there will continue to be struggles. It may be difficult to find a physician that will take them, at least initially. (Although the law includes funding to encourage the training of more primary care physicians, it takes time for them to go through the pipeline of medical school and residency.) In the meantime, they will also use emergency rooms.



On the bright side for hospitals, their health insurance companies will pay them higher reimbursement rates than they would otherwise receive.\