Texas Tax $$ at work

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_re_us/frequent_er_patients
This BLOWS my mind!!!

9 patients made nearly 2,700 ER visits in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas – Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care providers who care for low-income and uninsured patients.

"What we're really trying to do is find out who's using our emergency rooms ... and find solutions," said Ann Kitchen, executive director of the group, which presented the report last week to the Travis County Healthcare District board.

The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Hospitals and taxpayers paid the bill through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Kitchen said.

Eight of the nine patients have drug abuse problems, seven were diagnosed with mental health issues and three were homeless. Five are women whose average age is 40, and four are men whose average age is 50, the report said, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday.
"It's a pretty significant issue," said Dr. Christopher Ziebell, chief of the emergency department at University Medical Center at Brackenridge, which has the busiest ERs in the area.

 

Wait until its officially free.

 

My gf works for an insurance company and this is what she works to avoid. She is a social worker and her job is to contact people that frequent ERs and try and get them more appropriate services. It is a huge issue for the tax payer and the private insurance company a like.

 

Damn!!!! That works out to about 5 visits per month per person for 5 years.

 

sorry guys.

 

just kill them, a bullet will be cheaper than all those hospital visits.....haha jk but seriously...no im jk....