And an appendectomy is a simple, quick operation. And I would classify appendicitis as an emergency medical condition that needs to be stabilized, by surgery.

If they found that you had a large mass in your gut that was not an acute infection, but was probably cancer, they would suggest you see an oncologist.

They would not treat it. Nor should they... they are the emergency room.

And if your problem was kidney failure they wouldn't put you on a dialysis regimen. They can't. They are the emergency room.

And so on.

You can be escorted out by security.

Socialized health care. We're all paying (more specifically OVER-paying) for ER visits of the uninsured.

At least if we gave those people Medicaid the govt could control costs rather than getting hosed.

The list is very very long of syndromes, conditions, diseases, etc, that can be causing abdominal pain, but does not qualify as an emergency, thus no treatment mandated in the ER. Many of them WILL kill the patient...eventually. Point is, the patient will be sent home with instructions, prescriptions, and follow-up appointments that they will not be able to afford. Eventually, unless they are very lucky, they may well die from that condition at home without medical care.

I have seen people arrive in the ER with such advanced states of preventable disease, it makes you sick because it is utterly shameful that ANY of this occurs in what is supposedly the richest nation on earth. Cancer of the EYE - so advanced the eye was hard as wood and the patient died of brain metastasis. Decubitus ulcer measured at 29 cm X 34 cm X 4-8 cm deep across the coccyx and hips and spine (that's about a FOOT across, btw) - died of wasting and infection. Pedestrian struck by car because could not get out of the way fast enough - why? Right leg muscles wasted from herniated lumbar disc. Looked like he'd had polio. He was trying to get to work - 17 years as a janitor, didn't qualify for medical insurance, still trying to pay bill for the diagnostic tests that told him years ago what was wrong with his back/hip/leg. He died too. I could go on and on and on and on and on....These are the people that have been tossed aside. This is the overwhelming pain and agony they must endure so that the rich can get richer.

Everybody but, apparently, Romney knows that ERs don't help people get preventive care, but those specific examples of people dying for lack of insurance are so sad and so powerful... much more so than statistics.

Even a dancing horse wouldn't solve these folks' problems....

And they have been slowly increasing deductibles along with insurance premium costs. The reason I chose high deductible is because I will go to Thailand or Costa Rica for much, much cheaper out of pocket treatments.

I'm in the "high risk" category. Even AFTER the deductibles, I get bills and after 30 days the collection agency vultures start mailing and calling. I just tell them to fuck off. I won't feed that system. I'll pay the bills directly to the hospital, lab, or ambulance service and cut the vultures out of the loop.

Not many, that's for sure.