Emergency room waits

[vanreefer]

What about those who can't afford the $50 .... aren't we becoming like our neighbours to the south... where we think twice about seeking medical attention... put it off and put it off until for example in tarolisols case his appendix bursts he then has to call an ambulance his surgury becomes complicated by the leaking feces from his ruptured appendix he then spends 5-7 days in a hospital bed at least $1000/ night plus the antibiotics for the pneumonia he gets from the ventilator... etc...etc Granted this is the worst case senario... and people do overuse the ER when a clinic would be more appropriate... but I don't think there should be any reason for someone not to go to the hospital when they need to. This being said the triage system in hospitals can be faulted... people quickly learn the "Buzz words" that get them quicker service... for example short of breath or chest pain... It' by no means a perfect system but it does work... eventually