General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Dallas County Commissioner says race and no insurance are why Duncan was sent away by hospital [View all]pnwmom
(109,029 posts)there should be a high degree of suspicion.
I'm not saying they knew he had Ebola. But they knew he was sick and the system incentivized him to turn him away.
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2012/february/19/hospitals-demand-payment-upfront-from-er-patients.aspx
Next time you go to an emergency room, be prepared for this: If your problem isn't urgent, you may have to pay upfront.
Last year, about 80,000 emergency-room patients at hospitals owned by HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, left without treatment after being told they would have to first pay $150 because they did not have a true emergency.
Led by the Nashville-based HCA, a growing number of hospitals have implemented the pay-first policy in an effort to divert patients with routine illnesses from the ER after they undergo a federally required screening. At least half of all hospitals nationwide now charge upfront ER fees, said Rick Gundling, vice president of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, which represents health-care finance executives.