The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, made it illegal for hospitals to refuse to help people in medical need based on ability to pay. Unfortunately, uninsured people sometimes end up in the ER because a lack of routine care pushes their bodies to the brink or because they feel as if they have nowhere else to go, even for routine medical concerns.
A study done by the National Association of Community Health Centers found that Americans waste $18 billion a year on unnecessary ER visits. Because hospitals charge the uninsured significantly higher rates than the rates that insurance companies pay, Davis Liu, M.D., author of "Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely," says, "Never ever use the emergency room for routine medical care."
ERs handle life or limb-threatening injuries or conditions. Always go to the ER in these situations. However, you have other options for scenarios of an imminent, but not emergency, nature.
Call your doctor, community health center or hospital advice line. The on-call doctor or nurse can help determine if your symptoms warrant a trip to the ER, an urgent care facility or some medications to tide you over until you can be seen in a normal clinical setting.
Visit an urgent care clinic. These clinics address immediate medical needs other than life or limb-threatening problems. They are typically open when regular doctors' offices are closed.
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