The UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT

[SparrowHawk]

I was not aware that Wallgreens had an ER with surgeons and nurses on duty. My bad.

What our sometime inarticulate colleague was trying to point out is there is a huge percentage of people who use the ER as their primary physician for things as simple as the common cold. This is not an appropriate use of resources. Wallgreens and others have facilities for such situations that are of high quality and relatively low cost.

Also it's far easier to scam or not pay an ER then it is to plunk the $30 down at a Wallgreens. I've been of the opinion for many years that people who present themselves at an ER and the illness/injury is not severe should be turned away. Have the ER doc triage the and if no bones are broken or no obvious signs of a real illness/injury they are sent home.

 

[Ms Tree]

Who determined this huge number? I have found quite a few articles referring to the increase of ER visits for primary care but nothing referring to this huge number of people using ER's as a pharmacy.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Who determined this huge number? I have found quite a few articles referring to the increase of ER visits for primary care but nothing referring to this huge number of people using ER's as a pharmacy.

Not very bright. Ever here of "Drug Seeking behavior"? Happens in ER's all the tine with addicts.

Secondly Walgreens has mini Health Care areas in many of their stores. Have symptoms similar to a cold or fly? pat a few bucks and be examined by a Nurse Practitioner for 30 bucks.

Walk-Ins Welcome and Appointments Available
Open 7 Days a Week and Weeknights, Too
Most Insurance Accepted
Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioners*
On-Site Pharmacy

Treatment for Patients 18 Months and Older

Yake Care Clinics as select Walgreens

 

[Ms Tree]

Not very bright. Ever here of "Drug Seeking behavior"? Happens in ER's all the tine with addicts.

Secondly Walgreens has mini Health Care areas in many of their stores. Have symptoms similar to a cold or fly? pat a few bucks and be examined by a Nurse Practitioner for 30 bucks.

Walk-Ins Welcome and Appointments Available
Open 7 Days a Week and Weeknights, Too
Most Insurance Accepted
Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioners*
On-Site Pharmacy

Treatment for Patients 18 Months and Older

Yake Care Clinics as select Walgreens

Speaking of violets, it's hear not here and it's pay not pat, and pay should have been capitalized. Just saying. You must have a hard time maintaining that glass house of yours. So, how about you focus on the issues and stop dicking about with typos and smart phone auto corrections huh?

I know what drug seekers are but it would seem the issue is a bit cloudy with you. They are typically seeking schedule I or II narcotics that must be dispensed with a prescription. Since they do not have insurance they go to the ER and fake the symptoms to get the doc to write a script or dispense the drugs. That game does not work to well in a doc in the box. By the way, the Walgreens here in TX that I have been to do not have these facilities, at least none of the ones I have been to. I wonder if they have them in Rush Limbaughs neighborhood?

So we now have 'huger numbers' and 'all the time' being used but as of yet nothing to substantiate the claims of all these folks doing this. I have searched for a study supporting either of the claims and have not found anything. Seeing as I am not too bright perhaps you could point out a source?

 

[signals]

Who determined this huge number? I have found quite a few articles referring to the increase of ER visits for primary care but nothing referring to this huge number of people using ER's as a pharmacy.

I'll let you in on a little observed secret:

Even people with insurance use the ER because they have never had a primary physician. In my occupation alone, I know 40 people over 45 that go to the ER when they get sick. And sometimes it is for a minor cold.

 

[Ms Tree]

Here is another secret. Their insurance pays for the visit as opposed to those who have no insurance. It's no big secret that people do not like going to the doctors so there will be a certain number who use the ER as a primary. I wold think the ones going for a common cold are fewer than thought due to the fact that every time I have been to the ER it is a long long wait and these were things that were critical for me at least. One intestinal virus for which I was admitted for 3 days of recovery and A-fib.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Here is another secret. Their insurance pays for the visit as opposed to those who have no insurance. It's no big secret that people do not like going to the doctors so there will be a certain number who use the ER as a primary. I wold think the ones going for a common cold are fewer than thought due to the fact that every time I have been to the ER it is a long long wait and these were things that were critical for me at least. One intestinal virus for which I was admitted for 3 days of recovery and A-fib.

Clearly you've never known anyone who works in one or been to an ER at a big city hospital. Yes the wait is long if you don't belong at an ER. However if you're a drug seeking skank all you have is time. Same if you have no intention of paying.

When you have time on your hands due to the Obamaconomy what's a few hours in an ER to get a prescription for Percocet. They give you 10 pills which have a street value of ten dollars each. You do that twice in a weekend then you can parlay that into a 30 day supply of Suboxone which blocks the opium receptors and gives a bit of a buzz. Of if they can test clean they can sign into a Methadone Clinic. Problem there is Methadone keeps you from getting dope sick but no high at all so you take your heroin money and smoke crack because crack will "cut" through the Methodone.

I've been down the addiction road with a loved one and been to many ER's and I have a friend who is a Level 1 Trauma Nurse and another who is a Medical Case Manager. One has already left the profession and the other is thinking about it. WHY? ObamaCare.

 

[Ms Tree]

Try and keep up Sparrow. First off my wife is a nurse. So what do you have? I was waiting in the ER curled up in a fetal position hoping to find a gun to shoot my self for over an hour waiting to be seen. And that was in one of the largest hospitals in the DFW area. Secondly Signals was addressing people with insurance using the ER as primary care for things such as a cold. If you would read post #79 you will see that I already address the issue of addicts and their ability to scam the system regardless of who sits in the WH at the time (as if this just started in Jan 2009). Drug addicts trying to scam the system will not be affected by universal health care because their addiction falls out side the legal scope of health care. The issue that I originally brought up was the idea of getting people insurance coverage so that they can take advantage of lower health care costs by seeing a primary care doctor for a minor cold and not have to go to the ER when it turns into a full blown pneumonia. Bring addicts into the conversion s a nice distraction and makes for a nice sound bite but it has nothing to do with the issue at hand. That is a addiction treatment and or criminal issue.

 

[tech2101]

Clearly you've never known anyone who works in one or been to an ER at a big city hospital. Yes the wait is long if you don't belong at an ER. However if you're a drug seeking skank all you have is time. Same if you have no intention of paying.

When you have time on your hands due to the Obamaconomy what's a few hours in an ER to get a prescription for Percocet. They give you 10 pills which have a street value of ten dollars each. You do that twice in a weekend then you can parlay that into a 30 day supply of Suboxone which blocks the opium receptors and gives a bit of a buzz. Of if they can test clean they can sign into a Methadone Clinic. Problem there is Methadone keeps you from getting dope sick but no high at all so you take your heroin money and smoke crack because crack will "cut" through the Methodone.

I've been down the addiction road with a loved one and been to many ER's and I have a friend who is a Level 1 Trauma Nurse and another who is a Medical Case Manager. One has already left the profession and the other is thinking about it. WHY? ObamaCare.

There is treatment for codependency. You should have tried that.

Your post has absolutely nothing to do with the ACA.

 

[SparrowHawk]

Try and keep up Sparrow. First off my wife is a nurse. So what do you have? I was waiting in the ER curled up in a fetal position hoping to find a gun to shoot my self for over an hour waiting to be seen. And that was in one of the largest hospitals in the DFW area. Secondly Signals was addressing people with insurance using the ER as primary care for things such as a cold. If you would read post #79 you will see that I already address the issue of addicts and their ability to scam the system regardless of who sits in the WH at the time (as if this just started in Jan 2009). Drug addicts trying to scam the system will not be affected by universal health care because their addiction falls out side the legal scope of health care. The issue that I originally brought up was the idea of getting people insurance coverage so that they can take advantage of lower health care costs by seeing a primary care doctor for a minor cold and not have to go to the ER when it turns into a full blown pneumonia. Bring addicts into the conversion s a nice distraction and makes for a nice sound bite but it has nothing to do with the issue at hand. That is a addiction treatment and or criminal issue.

Either way the numbers will NOT work for ObamaCare and here is the news flash that Neo-Cons don't want to admit to and that is that the current system is not sustainable either. Since the Government can't manage it in it's current state or in its projected state then there really is only one alternative left and that's through the free market of private enterprise. Oddly in order for a free market to flourish as a society we have to make people accountable for their HC decisions short of killing them.

We have all heard we get the government we deserve and I happen to agree. We have this cradle to grave Nanny state approach due to either well meaning people trying to help or nefarious people trying to enslave us for votes. Take your pick the end result is the same. Two thing that IMO helped drive virtually EVERY bad decision ever made when it comes to the size and scope of our government.

One is the Federal Withholding of the Personal Income tax. This takes the Individual's eye off the prize. The IRS whacks you $100-300 a week and you don't notice. You think "Cost of doing business" and don't worry much until this time of year when conversation turns to "How Much you getting back"? ! EXCUSE ME! Getting back? It was my f*cking money to begin with and I allowed you to use it interest free. So blow me IRS, It's MY MONEY. OK, back on point, no withholding and people have to actually save up to pay up and I'll Guarandamntee you they start paying attention to where there money goes. That's bad if you're a Federal Bureaucrat.

Two, Employer paid health care should be ended forthwith. The amount they paid for the premiums would be paid as income. This transition would be governed by either new or existing laws. Next a law/rule/regulation prohibiting group coverage beyond immediate family or a domestic partner contract.

Do the above and you cut the size of government as We the People become more involved. Secondly you've now created a free market for the 50% who do not get some kind of government assistant. Further as prices come down and they will as now insurance companies are forced to compete for every single policy, the states and Federal Government can curtail coverages that will force people into the private insurance providers. The challenge here is once the stage is set and the market is opened up the government has to have the courage to do NOTHING! The urge to soften the dumps in the road must be resisted. Over time (10 years I estimate) the combination of a free market private sector and a slow retreat by the Government from the market the prices should drop dramatically. During this period of transition the Government should do everything legal and reasonable to rebuild the charitable infrastructure. Much of this can be accomplished by the use of the Bully Pulpit by the then sitting President. Speaking out and promoting the idea of charitable giving being a better use of our resources and not be used in an attempt to badger and bully Supreme Court Justices.

 

[Ms Tree]

Next a law/rule/regulation prohibiting group coverage beyond immediate family or a domestic partner contract.

I thought you were a big fan of the COTUS? How exactly does this not violate the COTUS? People may associate with groups to negotiate better prices. To out law this for insurance while allowing it for other transactions seems to violate several concepts of the COTUS not to mention your libertarian ideas of freedom and self responsibilities.

 

[SparrowHawk]

I thought you were a big fan of the COTUS? How exactly does this not violate the COTUS? People may associate with groups to negotiate better prices. To out law this for insurance while allowing it for other transactions seems to violate several concepts of the COTUS not to mention your libertarian ideas of freedom and self responsibilities.

In general I am and I think the answer goes to the individual mandate before the Supremes. Here no one is forcing anyone to buy something. The 10th Amendment does allow the Federal Government to regulate Commerce which is what an insurance contract is. Withholding comes under the tax code so no COTUS issues there. Employer paid healthcare is under the tax code as well.

The only reason I don't think group coverage is a good idea is that it skews the market a bit. I could live with a law that said no group coverages that repealed itself in say 5 years. I think it's needed in the beginning of the transition to force accountability. It is however a sorrowful place we've come to when we have to legislate responsibility over something as basic and important as Health Care.

 

[Ms Tree]

I am glad you can live with the law. Pretty sure the COTUS does not agree with that sentiment

 

[southwind]

I was not aware that Wallgreens had an ER with surgeons and nurses on duty. My bad.

As I'm sure your aware, many peeps, with no insurance, go to the ER with "Non-emergency" conditions, hence why I suggested Walgreens, but that's not free. Didn't realize I had to spell it out for you.........My bad !

 

[Ms Tree]

Walgreens is a pharmacy not a medical facility, the fact that a few of them may have a doc in the box inside not with standing. The people who use the ER as a primary care facility would not use a walgreens, doc in the box or a regular doctor because they do not have insurance and cannot afford the costs. That is why we are having this conversation. I have been to a doc in the box with out insurance before. They are not inexpensive.