Jensen letter: Health care
A few days ago, I observed an indigent young man in a public place walking erratically, stumble, fall, go into seizures. I and others came to his aid, called paramedics, etc. When help arrived, it became clear that this man was well known to them, had been to the ER many times, and obviously had several medical conditions. They had his chart online. He is getting his health care from paramedics, who are certainly well qualified for their jobs, but not really designed for continuing health care.
Five EMTs plus who knows how many more staff once he got to the ER? Guess who pays for this? We do. Whether you like it or not, you are paying for this man’s health care. It would be much cheaper to pay for universal coverage and have him go to a clinic.
Personally, I’d rather pay for universal health coverage for all than pay for health care via ER. We must do better.
Neysa Jensen, Boise
This story was originally published February 14, 2017 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Jensen letter: Health care."