"Historically, a lot of people thought of the emergency department as a safety net for the uninsured," said Mathew at Jefferson. "Now, it's much more about people with insurance getting quick, efficient care" rather than waiting months to see a primary-care doctor.
I hope the money for primary care centers that Bernie Sanders put into the bill is put to use well. A lot of emergency room care is of the urgent-but-simple variety. You know, kid has high fever, strange unidentifiable pain, major sprain or minor broken bone, cut needing a few stitches... Things that do requirement immediate treatment, but don't require the full infrastructure of a major hospital. Widespread extended hour primary care clinics would take care of a lot of this stuff.