| | | ER Visits Up Since Implementation of Affordable Care Act
May 21, 2014
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly half of emergency physicians responding to a poll are already seeing a rise in emergency visits since January 1 when expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) began to take effect. In an online poll conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), 86 percent expect emergency visits to increase over the next three years. More than three-fourths (77 percent) say their ERs are not adequately prepared for significant increases.
"Emergency visits will increase in large part because more people will have health insurance and therefore will be seeking medical care," said Alex Rosenau, DO, FACEP, president of ACEP. "But America has severe primary care physician shortages, and many physicians do not accept Medicaid patients, because Medicaid pays so low. When people can't get appointments with physicians, they will seek care in emergency departments. In addition, the population is aging, and older people are more likely to have chronic medical conditions that require emergency care."
newsroom.acep.org
The data suggest that states that expanded Medicaid are more likely to see increases in the volume of Medicaid emergency patients. Dr. Rosenau said that policymakers need to make sure there are adequate resources to care for growing numbers of emergency patients. |
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