Well that's good for emergencies but the issue of "assisted suicide" would be more relevant to longer term care situations of the terminally ill than those presenting to the emergency department with a broken leg.
The article you've linked to, errors notwithstanding, paints a harsh picture of health care in the United states particularly for the poor and uninsured. In societies which already show little regard for the well being of the most vulnerable at the BEGINNING of LIFE, it's difficult to imagine they will show any more at the END. "Assisted suicide" holds significant and tragic potential for that disregard of human life to be considerably extended.
--Previous Message--
: Well, Pete, here's a link that will assist you
: appreciate that the USA has a working public
: health system providing assistance to the
: uninsured. No patient with emergency needs
: can be turned away from a publicly funded
: hospital, nor from a private hospital.
: They'll chase you for the cost of your
: stay/treatment. No money, no pay.
:
:
:
: https://www.justlanded.com/english/United-States/USA-Guide/Health/Hospitals
:
: I quote a commentator's remarks:
:
: Quote:
:
: I'm a doctor in an emergency room.
:
: The main point of this article is correct:
: you have to pay for health care you receive.
: The government doesn't pay for you.
:
: However, there are a few errors in the
: article.
:
: First, hospitals must provide emergency care
: to all patients, even if it's not a
: *life-threatening* emergency. In the broken
: leg example, if you didn't have insurance,
: your emergency room visit would be the same
: as if you did. If you need a hospitalization
: for an emergency surgery or procedure, the
: hospital is required by law to admit you and
: stabilize you regardless of your ability to
: pay. The difference would be where you
: follow up as an outpatient--if you don't
: have insurance, you will have to see a bone
: doctor in a public clinic, since a private
: bone doctor won't schedule an appointment
: with someone who won't pay.
:
:
: Second, if you don't pay your bill, you
: won't get sued. The hospital might send a
: collections agency after you, but you won't
: get sued by the hospital.
:
: I've worked in private and public hospitals.
: The only consistent difference between the
: two types of hospitals is the decor and
: quality of the cafeteria. Some public
: hospitals have great doctors and provide
: excellent care, some private hospitals are
: nightmares. Private hospitals do not
: necessarily provide better care than public
: ones.
:
: unquote
:
: end
:
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