Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Despite Health Law Goal, Emergency Room Visits Still On The Rise
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Emergency-Room Visits Keep Climbing
Emergency-room visits continued to climb in the second year of the Affordable Care Act, contradicting the law’s supporters who had predicted a decline in traffic as more people gained access to doctors and other health-care providers. A survey of 2,098 emergency-room doctors conducted in March showed about three-quarters said visits had risen since January 2014. That was a significant uptick from a year earlier, when less than half of doctors surveyed reported an increase. The survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians is scheduled to be published Monday. (Armour, 5/4)
USA Today: Contrary To Goals, ER Visits Rise Under Obamacare
Three-quarters of emergency physicians say they've seen ER patient visits surge since Obamacare took effect — just the opposite of what many Americans expected would happen. A poll released today by the American College of Emergency Physicians shows that 28% of 2,099 doctors surveyed nationally saw large increases in volume, while 47% saw slight increases. By contrast, fewer than half of doctors reported any increases last year in the early days of the Affordable Care Act. (Ungar and O'Donnell, 5/4)
