Ken Schram: This is not the way to cut down on ER visits
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So when the first person dies because it was an emergency, what will the state do then?
I have no idea if the powers-that-be asked that question of themselves before they decided to tell Medicaid patients they get three non-emergency visits to an ER per year.
After that, unless it's an emergency as defined by the state, ER visits won't be paid for.
The motive behind this is the cost incurred by poor people who often use emergency room doctors as their personal physicians.
Either the state pays, or maybe the hospitals pay.
Or maybe now the patient will pay - with his or her life.
The state list of more than 700 non-emergency diagnoses includes everything from sun burn to shortness of breath to non-specific chest pain.
So if a person is sitting at home, unable to breathe because of stabbing pain in the chest, that person better figure out pretty quickly if it's heartburn or a heart attack.
Maybe the state can just provide every home with the textbook of family medicine.
Yes, there is a problem with unnecessary emergency room visits.
But the way to deal with that problem is not to tell people to tough it out by staying away from medical help because the state has defined what is, and what is not, a real emergency.
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Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also connect with Ken on Facebook.
I have no idea if the powers-that-be asked that question of themselves before they decided to tell Medicaid patients they get three non-emergency visits to an ER per year.
After that, unless it's an emergency as defined by the state, ER visits won't be paid for.
The motive behind this is the cost incurred by poor people who often use emergency room doctors as their personal physicians.
Either the state pays, or maybe the hospitals pay.
Or maybe now the patient will pay - with his or her life.
The state list of more than 700 non-emergency diagnoses includes everything from sun burn to shortness of breath to non-specific chest pain.
So if a person is sitting at home, unable to breathe because of stabbing pain in the chest, that person better figure out pretty quickly if it's heartburn or a heart attack.
Maybe the state can just provide every home with the textbook of family medicine.
Yes, there is a problem with unnecessary emergency room visits.
But the way to deal with that problem is not to tell people to tough it out by staying away from medical help because the state has defined what is, and what is not, a real emergency.
---
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also connect with Ken on Facebook.
