Mitt Romney, On 60 Minutes, Cites Emergency Room As Health Care Option For Uninsured

[SIDURI]

16. Here's my grown daughter's experience with the great ER system

She got blood poisoning from an infected splinter that she couldn't get out of her big toe. The pain was so bad all the way up to her groin that she went to the ER. They kept her for 4 hours giving her IV antibiotics, then sent her home with instructions to go to an Urgent Care center the next day for follow-up.

The Urgent Care center put a port in her wrist so they could give her IV antibiotics every day, dosed her, then sent her home. This went on for 4 days, at which point the UC people got a bit worried (!!!!) that she wasn't getting better fast enough, and sent her to the ER. The ER sent her back. When she finally got to see a surgeon he said to her: "What do you want me to do, start digging?"

Back home, still damn sick.

Finally, after at least a week, she was given an MRI and an actual foot surgeon got the splinter out, gave her crutches and one of those boots to wear on her bandaged foot. She's now on oral antibiotics. She's substantially better, but trying to do too much because apparently no one told her she's still convalescing and not well.

Personal responsibility? Well, she probably should have a primary care physician so someone in the local system at least knows her name, but since she's in the throes of a very nasty divorce she's not sure what she has. She makes sure the kids have a pediatrician and a dentist, but she's barely keeping her head above water in every other respect. Having a doctor for herself is way down the list.

And it could have killed her.

So much for the ER as primary health care provider and safety net.

Siduri