Louisville's University Hospital ER on brink of overload from uninsured

ER visits are skyrocketing to more than 58,000 a year at Louisville's main safety-net hospital. At University Hospital, the ER is so consistently overwhelmed that a dozen beds have been permanently added in the hallways to handle the overflow. Total ER visits at University have jumped 75 percent—from 33,058 in 2006 to 58,010 last year. And about 55 percent of emergency room visits involve uninsured patients. Both rates are roughly three times the national average.