Emergency medical care in the United States is on the verge of collapse, with the nation's declining number of emergency rooms dangerously overcrowded and often unable to provide the expertise needed to treat seriously ill people in a safe and efficient manner.
That's the grim conclusion of three reports released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Wednesday, the product of a massive, two-year look at emergency care.
Long waits for treatment are epidemic, the reports said, with ambulances sometimes idling for hours to unload patients, and patients, once in the ER, waiting up to two days to be admitted to a hospital bed.
One thing for sure, when you head off to the hospital, you better have insurance, if you don't you may not get the service you need. If you have to go to a public healthcare institution like Cook County in Chicago be prepared for a long wait.
The great thing about the UniCare Sound Plan is that it includes a $150 copay for emergency room and UniCare pays the rest! Most plans apply ER against your deductible, and that can be costly. Make sure you get covered, with UniCare Sound you have no excuse to go with out health insurance!
Another helpful hint is to not go to the emergency room unless it is completely neccesary. Give your doctor a call first, try to make an appointment to see him/her first. Under the Sound Health Plan you only pay $40 for a doctor visit, and the wait at the doctors office is pretty brief compared to the ER. Usually over the phone if the doctor is familiar with you he can prescribe something to make you feel better without having to go in.
You want to stay out of the doctor's office, and the ER, but if you have a Sound Health Plan you have all your bases covered. www.unicaresoundplans.com
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