• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Emergency docs say Sebelius is wrong about ED

Patient Access Weekly Advisor, July 29, 2009

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Patient Access Weekly Advisor!

A statement July 15 from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius seems innocuous enough: A lot of people seeking care in emergency departments are uninsured.

But the nation's leading group of emergency physicians immediately took issue with her remarks, saying she's perpetuating a myth about hospital care and is missing a much bigger problem.

In her statement, Sebelius said statistics from a database managed by the Agency for Health Research and Quality show that in 2006, one in 5 patients seen in emergency department settings was uninsured, that low-income patients accounted for almost one-third of patient visits, and residents of rural areas comprised one-fifth of emergency room care.

"Our health care system has forced too many uninsured, rural and low-income Americans to depend on the emergency room for the care they need," Sebelius said. "We cannot wait for reform that gives all Americans the high-quality affordable care they need and helps prevent illnesses from turning into emergencies."

Read the full story by HealthLeaders Media’s Cheryl Clark.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Patient Access Weekly Advisor!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive