Thousands of newly insured Massachusetts residents are relying on emergency rooms for routine medical care, an expensive habit that drives up healthcare costs and thwarts a major goal of the state's first-in-the-nation health insurance law. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
Unexpected drawbacks to Massachusetts' relatively new health care law are well documented in this story. Sourcing is good, and facts and anecdotes are woven nicely.
Great story about the multiple reasons for continuing high ER usage, even with improved health insurance, as well as a discussion of attempted solutions. Resists the temptation to add too much detail.
This is the kind of follow-up journalism that can be somewhat boring, but is as important as the coverage of MA's plan to make health insurance more accessible in the first place. Doesn't go in depth about the behavioral issues that are the heart of the problem.
I think this needs more than 1 patient viewpoint. It does back up it's claims with numbers, but the sidebar chart does not make clear that the 557 visits are an annual rate, not a total for the 14 month period stated.
I sometimes use the ER for issues that could wait a few days, but I can never get a doctor appointment less than 2 weeks away. I think this study barely grazes that point. I would expect MA health care costs to go up now that the demand has been increased, unless the ER portion really can be reduced.
I found this article provided a lot of context on one part of the issue. What information there is is informative, I did not know that non-emergency treatment in ER drives up the cost of healthcare. However I wish the article better explored the reasons that the poor and young recipients of subsidized healthcare are less likely to see a primary care doctor. Rather, the article focuses on what the insurance and managed care companies are doing to stem rising health care costs. Surely other factors contribute to the rising cost of health care, and should be given at least a cursory look, but that context is lacking from the article.
Thousands of newly insured Massachusetts residents are relying on emergency rooms for routine medical care, an expensive habit that drives up healthcare costs and thwarts a ... More »
This well-written article features a solid selection of varied sources, from industry experts to uninsured patients. The reporter's angle is very constructive; she explains Massachusetts' program in detail, and it's fascinating to read about how a state-based example of universal health care coverage is actually working. The tone is fair and straight-forward, yet somehow still optimistic towards finding a workable solution for insuring the uninsured. This specific aspect of health care reform could prove very enlightening, if it continues to be covered well and thoroughly by the media.
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