about going to er?

Question

everyone says that people just go to the er if they can't afford to go to the doctor and because ER can't turn them down. Isn't going to the ER far more expensive than going to a general doctor? Im confused which isn't surprising

Answer 1

I am an RN in the ER. The reason that people go to the ER is because they cannot be forced to pay upfront for the services. Then, when the bills are due, they simply don't pay them. Some states will garnish wages of people who are in the country legally, or have a steady job. Other than that, the expenses have to be written off as loss. Speaking from experience, many people know the system, and abuse it on weekly and even daily basis. I work in a very large city, and I know people by name that frequent our ER.

You are probably confused, because you actually pay your bills. The majority do not.

Answer 2

NO emergency room is allowed to turn you away for treatment. Depending on the level of care needed the er can be more expensive. But most doctors offices wont take payments and the er will or eventually write your unpaid care off as a loss, then they jack up charges to patients with insurance which in turn raises the cost of health isurance so that less people can afford it. My fiance was treated in a local ER for chest pain. Luckilly we had a doctor meet us there who was providing care fre of charge(friend of the family) The Er still billed us for their doctor, even though he never saw my fiance. The bills totaled over $3000 we were charged for things he never had done like iv's, chest x-ray, asprin (he was given asprin by the voulenteer ambulance crew never at the ER) The list goes on. Don't believe me? If you ever have to go to the ER insured or not, ask for an itemized bill. I'll bet you get charged for things you never got.

Answer 3

if you have insurance, general docotr in most cases is a lot cheaper. If you don't have insurance, when you go to the ER you only have to pay the fee to get in. An ER doctor told me this once. After they pay the fee they are treated but then the hospital bills them. Most people just don't pay the bill.
So yes ER is a lot more expensive in the end but cheaper just to start a treatment.

Answer 4

Personally I think going to the ER is far more expensive whether you have insurance or not. I don't have health insurance so I try to go to the clinic. They do the same thing in the clinic that they would do in the er and it is cheaper. The clinic has almost the same hours as the er except they are not open during the night.

Answer 5

the hospitals with an ER will usually bill or government aid will take care of it. Doctors will only bill if you are an established patient. Plus, the ER is open 24/7. Doctor's offices (and even prompt care facilities) are only open during certain times. And it's true. The ER can never turn you down. Doctor's and prompt care facilities can.

Answer 6

yes but if you truly have a life or death situation you should go. i don't mean going there to get treated for a cold, you can do that at home, the problem is there is a vast amount of people out there that don't know how to treat themselves. that is a problem that starts in our education system, everyone should be taught basic health care in school instead of some of the bullshit classes that are taught as electives ask a person on the street what the difference between aspirin, Tylenol, and ibuprofen is and the majority could not tell you even though they an be bought over the counter and literature on all three is readily available. same thing goes for all otc.

Answer 7

It is more expensive in the end. The difference is that when you go to the ER, their priority is to get you stabilised and taken care of first. When you go to a clinic or regular doctor's appointment, they process your insurance and payment first, then treat you. No insurance, no treatment. You can usually get your ER bills billed o you, because it's common knowledge that most people don't have time to look for their insurance cards, etc., in the middle of a heart attack or whatever...

Answer 8

I believe it is more expensive, $50 at least to get seen. I think people just need to educate themselves to know when to go to the ER. Some people go out of sheer desperation, first time mothers go in with newborns that have a fever because they are so scared. You got this from Hilary's health care question? I didn't like how the person insisted that illegals cram up the ER without citing any sources. The things these people pull out of their ***.

Answer 9

I'm almost 38, so I'm definitely a part of Generation X, ... yet I never really connected with the whole lost-in-this-world, slacker persona that we were all supposed to relate to. Probably because my parents and siblings were all older -- when I was born, my sibs were 16, 17, and 18 -- they all grew up in the '50s and '60s. Anyway, I guess if I had to pick one, it would be "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden. Just because I can relate to feeling like an outsider, and wanting to break free from the things that hold me down and/or make me similar to other people. My family was also pretty screwed up, so I can also relate this song to wanting to break free from their controlling manipulation, abuse, and all that wonderful stuff ...

Answer 10

At my office we have a sliding scale fee and some people only have to pay $5 to be seen and this includes all care like ears flushed, EKG, shots, immunizations, stitches and so on. BUT if they have labs or xrays they get a seperate bill for that. They can sign up for sliding fees on those too and most do.

The college where I have another office gives free exams - PAP and physicals, wellness and sickness exams, for their students.

Lots of area hospitals will write off the bill if you show them your income and talk about it with them. Including bills for MRI's and CT scans etc.. Lots of times all you have to do is fill out MOUNTAINS of paperwork.

We also give out 90 days of medicine from the manufacturer for people with no prescriiption coverage. Regardless of income, Almost all offices have this. Check it out. It is called a medication assistance program.