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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (4664)	2/20/2008 8:33:48 AM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

Britain has begun rationing it according to many reports I have read. They also pay their doctors significantly less. Explains why one of the Docs I've seen at Kelsey Seybold in the past was British. Removing non critical patients from ERs is going to require more than just a shift in who is reimbursing for services. It will require changes in laws and or ethos. Right now there are many free medical clinics available to the people who choose to waste resources in ERs; often there are clinics available with odd hours in addition to standard hours. Such clinics ("Doc in a box") exist here in Houston as I've sought them out before for minor things. You have to pay them something though. texasurgentcare.com Hello. We’re MinuteClinic. We’re doing what we can to make healthcare a little easier for people with a lot going on. Our board-certified practitioners are trained to diagnose and treat common family illnesses, such as strep throat, bronchitis and ear, eye and sinus infections. No appointment necessary Open 7 days a week Most insurance accepted Flu shots offered daily Click here to find a clinic near you. Lots of locations I see. In 24 states. Aimed at big cities it looks like - in TX they're only in Austin, Dallas, & Houston areas - multiple locations there. 8 in Houston area. minuteclinic.com MinuteClinic’s team of board-certified practitioners are trained to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions (when clinically appropriate) for a variety of common family illnesses to patients 18 months and older. MinuteClinic is in-network with most major insurers, so patients are responsible for either their copay or the price clearly listed on our treatments and services menu. For those who are uninsured or prefer to pay out-of-pocket, MinuteClinic accepts cash, checks and credit cards. Simply enter your ZIP code in the upper right-hand box or select your location in the pull-down box above and click on “Treatment and Cost” for pricing information in your area. Following the above, they list their fee schedule. minuteclinic.com I'm sure there are others like above - didn't take long to find them. ER's are definitely not ones only option. Some times it is their only option, but often they make a choice to not use more efficient care delivery systems. If the laws were tweaked just a little to allow ERs to decline care to non critical patients it might change costs in Hospitals.