[cyphar]

> The ER is too often used as a general clinic / doctors office, psychiatric ward, or even homeless shelters in many areas.

A quick comment that this is a US-specific problem. In Australia, despite the attempts by our conservative governments to ruin our healthcare system, our universal healthcare system means only people who have actual emergencies (or at least think they do) are in ERs. Everyone else goes to a GP whenever they need to, for free. Similar things are true in with regard to the NHS in the UK, or most other nations with universal healthcare.