Uninsured put a strain on hospitals

As increasing numbers of the unemployed and uninsured turn to the nation’s emergency rooms as a medical last resort, doctors warn that the already overburdened centers could have even more trouble handling the heart attacks, broken bones, and other traumas that define their core mission. Even before the recession became evident, many emergency rooms around the country were already overcrowded with dangerously long waits for some patients, and needed to redirect ambulances to other hospitals.