Is the Dallas Ebola Patient Insured?

[superpatriotman]

I ask because the difference could account for the hospital's discharging him without the battery of tests that could have determined his illness.

from today's Wall Street Journal:

Doctors sent Mr. Duncan home with a prescription for antibiotics when he initially visited the hospital. He was only admitted to the hospital three days later, on Sept. 28, when he returned via ambulance after his symptoms had worsened. He was formally diagnosed with Ebola two days after that, on Sept. 30.

There is no mention of insurance.

ER visits like his, I fear, are routine for the uninsured; minimal care and quick turnaround.

[area51]

1. I'm glad you brought this up.

Haven't seen a media story which mentions that we have a broken health care delivery system in this country; our ERs are overwhelmed trying to deal with patients who are using them as the doctor of last resort. Wouldn't be surprised if this was behind the reason why the patient was sent home w/o enough investigation.

[SheilaT]

2. Interesting point.

If he is uninsured, and that was a factor in his initial release, it points up the fallacy that uninsured people aren't so bad off because they can get their health care through the Emergency Room.

The only thing that the ER must do for an uninsured patient is to stabilize him (or her) so the patient can be discharged. They will pretty much always suggest follow-up, either saying you need to see your own doctor, if you have one, or possibly recommending a specific physician.

Nonetheless, since he'd told them he'd just gotten back from West Africa, someone there, or maybe the computer system itself, screwed up.

[AngryAmish]

3. ha ha ha

[TorchTheWitch]

4. normally when people travel out of country they buy traveler's insurance

for just this sort of thing. I think some countries with national health care also cover out-of-country citizens, but most probably don't. I know when my one brother goes hither and yon all over the globe he buys traveler's insurance that will cover any medical expenses should he need medical care out-of-country. He has a certain medical condition, so he needs to make sure that his medical care is covered by someone where ever he's globe trotting. He's complained before about how much it costs considering that he's only away for a week to a month.

If Mr. Duncan doesn't die it may be that the hospital that screwed up will eat the cost (though they sure as hell won't take it out of their profits!), and it may also be that Liberia will eat the cost if he lives or dies since it was them that let him leave the country infected and to maintain good relations with the US especially since they're getting a lot of help from the US. I really doubt that if he lives the hospital will stick him with a bill he has no way to pay. The rest of us are generally screwed.

[magical thyme]

5. more likely a sudden reversal of priorities

People with mild symptoms are not the first priority in EDs; critically ill or injured people are.

It is a complete reversal of priorities to say that people with mild flu-like symptoms need to have travel history and possible exposure to Ebola extensively questioned. And the odds of having an at-risk patient walk in on any given day have been unheard of before and are still pretty remote.

I find any time I have to adjust to a change in policies, I am more prone to make mistakes. I think that's what happened here. Routine, flu-like symptoms were treated the routine way, out of habit.

[pnwmom]

7. But this hospital had just given its entire staff special training on being on the lookout for Ebola

So they should have known about the "reversal of priorities" and how critical travel history is now.

[Downwinder]

6. it would be wrong to blame a misdiagnosis on the lack

of insurance. My daughter had excellent insurance when the OB/GYN told her that the cancer that killed her was just a cyst and not to worry.