I suspect there will be a lot of noise made about the recent up-tick in Emergency Room use as a result of Obamacare.
Adults in the room knew this was going to happen. See Jon Perr's Diary about the experience in Massachusetts.
I remember when it was a conservative State's Right meme that states should have the freedom to experiment. The Massachusetts' experiment continues to be a successful guide.
While I have little doubt the Right Wing media will gladly beat the drum of how this invalidates Obamacare and make sweeping allegations about what the Obamacare supporters said and promised.
Hopefully, small voices of reason can still be heard. If nothing else we should try to keep ourselves informed.
UPDATE: link and more comments below the fold...
My apologies, I should have posted the link about the results of the ACEP survey earlier. Note that this is an "on-line poll" focusing on doctor's opinions.
I hope I am wrong, but my guess is this will be shortly become the next big desperate talking point in an attempt to discredit Obamacare.
The response of Obamacare supporters should be "so what?"
The short-term spike happened in Massachusetts but eventually Emergency visits reduced. We are in it for the long-term.
Of course newly-insured people are not going understand how things work.
I have had insurance most, if not all, of my life. Getting an appointment with my doctor requires a three-month wait. I see him two to three times a year. If my family needs something quicker, we go to the local Prompt Care (not the Emergency Room) because we know we're covered there. Once, my wife went to the Prompt Care and ended up being shipped to the hospital, Guess what? Our doctor saw her the next day (in the hospital). This is how the system works.
Yes, getting to the point of having everyone with health insurance and having them understand how to use it, will entail startup inefficiencies.
Remember the wise words of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Don't Panic
Even if the Emergency Room visits are going up, "So what?"