Anthony Weiner: Who Pays Those Bills? The Bill Fairy?
Saturday, November 7th, 2009Earlier this evening, Rep. Steve King of Iowa declared in an already-famous statement that “All Americans have health care. Every single one.”
“All Americans have health care. Every single one.” Doesn’t that sound hunky-dory? We all can get health care treatment! Where?
Steve King was referring to treatment in hospital emergency rooms, which cannot deny people attention on the basis of their ability to pay (although they can and do pursue people for payment). But while emergency rooms must give all patients a health care screening and must treat emergent health care issues, they do not have to provide primary health care coverage. On top of that, they’re gosh-darned expensive, and it’s not the emergency rooms’ fault. Emergency rooms are prepared and staffed to be ready for emergencies, with specialized rooms and specialized equipment and trauma bays and fancy geegaws and the whole nine yards. When non-emergent patients can pay for ER health care with insurance, it’s unnecessarily expensive to health insurance companies, and that rubs off on the rest of our premiums. When non-emergent patients can manage to pay for ER health care and they don’t have health insurance, it’s unnecessarily expensive to those patients. When non-emergent patients can’t manage to pay for ER health care, it’s unnecessarily expensive to hospitals and to the various public budgets that in many ways support hospitals.
Steve King is off his rocker to suggest that it’s a sound health care policy for Americans to rely on emergency rooms for non-emergent health care coverage. The bills resulting from such ER care are huge. And it’s not just me saying that. Just a few moments ago, Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York took to the floor of the House to respond to Steve King and other Republicans who have been making similar arguments this evening. His question about relying on emergency rooms for health care in America was simple:
Who pays those bills? The bill fairy?
Weiner’s point is that we’re already paying a lot of money for health care in America. But it’s bad for patients and it’s bad for budgets to have it structured the way it is now.
