In The News Today...

Its all over. Two cops at a pizza joint were shot and their pistols stolen to "start a revolution" with a maximum of 18 rounds. LOL.
Suspect dead in nearby WalMart.
Dozens being interviewed.

Quote: Fleastiff

Its all over. Two cops at a pizza joint were shot and their pistols stolen .

I bet they weren't utilizing Wild Bill Hickok's rule
of always sitting with your back to the wall in
public. The only time Hickok broke his own rule,
he was shot in the back and killed.

More patients flocking to ERs under Obamacare

The first paragraph of the article says it all:

Quote:

It wasn't supposed to work this way, but since the Affordable Care Act took effect in January, Norton Hospital has seen its packed emergency room become even more crowded, with about 100 more patients a month.

To all the LIV's in America: Thanks a lot for giving us Obamacare! *facepalm*

Quote: Evenbob

Now Bergdahl is refusing to speak to his parents,
even on the phone. He's probably a mental case
now, even more than when he deserted.

Maybe he's really miffed at the Father, who seems to have encouraged the kid to desert. The dumbass expected to be able to wander around Afghanistan "helping" the people. Oh, that's assuming he didn't actually intend to go over to the Taliban, for a worst case possibility.

Quote: Beethoven

More patients flocking to ERs under Obamacare

The first paragraph of the article says it all:To all the LIV's in America: Thanks a lot for giving us Obamacare! *facepalm*

Wow, 3 more patients per day. They're flocking!!!

Read later (I'll paraphrase): more people are covered. These people either don't have a family doctor, their doctor doesn't take Medicaid, or are working during the doctor's working hours, a bump in the road.

Canada has the same issue. Plenty of people show up at emergency wards with non-urgent issues. Hospital Solution: they wait, allowing more critical cases to pass through. Patient Solution: if your issue is non-urgent, show up at your doctor's or at a clinic tomorrow.

Over to you AZ/Bob for Canada health care sucks comment.

Quote: Beethoven

This just occurred a few hours ago in Las Vegas:

Five reported dead in northeast Las Vegas police ambush

The only thing that could kill a bad guy with a gun is... where were all the people with conceal / carry permits to kill these gunman on-site?

Quote: boymimbo

Canada has the same issue. Plenty of people show up at emergency wards with non-urgent issues. Hospital Solution: they wait, allowing more critical cases to pass through. Patient Solution: if your issue is non-urgent, show up at your doctor's or at a clinic tomorrow.

Over to you AZ/Bob for Canada health care sucks comment.

Best solution: inform them that they are non-urgent cases and should go to a regular doctor's office, additionally set the system so they have to pay the difference between non-urgent care and urgent care out of pocket and on the spot (if possible.) Until then the lazy, greedy lumps are going to keep taking from the system.

The long wait is the penalty for the non-urgent case. I was in emergency at my local hospital for a broken finger; they took the person who was clearly in more pain than me before me.

I would blame a few things. First, some people are too healthy to have a family doctor. People in their 20s and 30s or are transient don't necessarily have family doctors or realize that clinics are a possible way to go, so they go to emergency. In the case of my finger, an x-ray and splint was immediately necessary to determine the course of action.

Many others don't understand the strains they are putting on the system by going to emergency. But I wouldn't call them all lazy and greedy... clearly a few of them are (but not 47%), but there are equally conservative dunces who just don't know better or are visiting emergency unnecessarily when there are other options.

OTOH, sometimes emergency wards can be hit or miss and when emergency isn't busy, it can be a fast way to get treatment. By prioritizing care, those who are not urgent can wait until urgent cases are taken care of. in that way, doctors and nurses aren't standing around.

Ontario played around with user fees for emergency wards.

Quote: boymimbo

I would blame a few things. First, some people are too healthy to have a family doctor. People in their 20s and 30s or are transient don't necessarily have family doctors or realize that clinics are a possible way to go, so they go to emergency. In the case of my finger, an x-ray and splint was immediately necessary to determine the course of action.

A broken bone would be exactly why you go to an ER. The X-Ray machine alone will not be found at your family doctor, and you are not going to wait for an appointment.

Quote:

Many others don't understand the strains they are putting on the system by going to emergency. But I wouldn't call them all lazy and greedy... clearly a few of them are (but not 47%), but there are equally conservative dunces who just don't know better or are visiting emergency unnecessarily when there are other options.

The way to "make them understand" is to hit their pocketbook. Go to the ER for a head cold, you get charged ER prices. And make it so their insurance does not cover ER prices. Hit people a few times and they will start to learn. If they go to the ER in Canada because "someone else is paying" I would absolutely call that greedy and/or lazy. As is being pointed out, now that people think Obamacare is paying they are hitting the E/R, just as any intelligent person knew they would.

Except that we all pay into the healthcare system here via our taxes, and are happy to do so. Most Canadians feel that they should have access to good healthcare regardless of income. I have no problem with a poor/unemployed person going to the ER or to a doctor's office at the same time and getting the same level of care as anyone else. It's a view shared by all western countries except for one.

We don't call people who overuse the ER greedy or lazy; we call them stupid, or we call them hypochondriacs.