Uninsured not main reason for ER crowding

Reuters/Yahoo News, October 22, 2008

People without medical insurance are not the primary cause of the overcrowding that is typical in emergency rooms at U.S. hospitals, new research indicates. "There is a commonly held belief that uninsured patients abuse the emergency department, coming in for 'non-urgent' complaints, are overwhelming the system. This is simply not true," said lead author Manya F. Newton, MD. Crowding in the ER is due to many things, including an increased amount of ER use by everyone, fewer emergency departments, and fewer inpatient beds, Newton said.