[mrcu5]

My wife is a pediatrician and sees about 80% medicaid patients. People absolutely go in more often than they need to because they don't pay a single cent. I'm talking going to the ER because their kid has a cough or is running a fever. These are usually also the most demanding patients.

[refurb]

I found this part of the paper to be unreasonable:

Available ER visits and hospitalizations can be avert through improved access to primary care

[n9]

Have you ever gone to a busy urban ER? It is absolutely full to the brim 24/7 with people visiting with chronic ailments that don’t have health insurance, which is literally the most expensive possible way to treat something like asthma or chronic emphysema.

[refurb]

Look up the Oregon Medicaid study. Basically did a lottery, half get Medicaid, half don’t.

No change in outcomes, it just cost more.

[codegeek]

Medicaid is not the same as Medicare. Medicaid is literally Free stuff so yea, it can be abused. Medicare is not free. People pay into it through taxes. 2 different things.

[senordevnyc]

Free at the point of sale is what’s important. The fact that I know I theoretically pay for it with my taxes does nothing to curb abuse.