Medicaid Patients and Emergency Care

Medicaid patients turn to hospitals for emergencies, not routine care, By Susan Heavey, July 11, 2012, Chicago Tribune: “Most people covered by government health insurance for the poor visit hospital emergency rooms for perceived emergencies, not for routine care, much like those with private insurance, according to a study released on Wednesday. Researchers said the study helps dispel the notion that poor patients are clogging hospitals for routine treatment – for a bad cold, for example – that others receive at lower cost in a clinic or at a doctor’s office. Patients on Medicaid – the insurance program for low-income people financed by federal and state governments – do visit emergency rooms at twice the rate of privately insured patients, said the study by the non-partisan Center for Studying Health Systems, reflecting ongoing challenges in finding alternative care…”
Study: Most Medicaid patients visit the ER for urgent, not routine, care, By Sarah Kliff, July 11, 2012, Washington Post: “Policymakers frequently say that Medicaid patients overuse the emergency room for routine care, citing it as a factor driving up health-care costs. But a new study says that the majority of Medicaid visits to the emergency room are for urgent or serious issues…”