Hospital Overcharging Targeted As ER Visits May Include Upfront Costs

Palm Beach, FLThe idea of going to the emergency room may be altered by a new policy that is being adopted in medical facilities across the country. Hospital overcharging has been reported, as some ER visits now come with an upfront price tag of $150 for people who do not have an urgent problem, according to Kaiser Health News.

The news source reported that last year roughly 80,000 emergency room patients at hospitals owned by HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, left without being treated after they were told they would have to first pay $150 because they did not have an emergency.

According to the news source, HCA hospitals in Palm Beach County, Florida, use such screening methods and fees, a spokeswoman for the organization said.

"Our priority is that the sickest patients get treated quickly and those who do not need emergency care have information to help them choose a more efficient, less costly care setting for their care," spokeswoman Nicole Baxter said in a statement.

HCA has led a move in the industry to implement the pay-first policy to divest patients with routine illnesses from going to the ER after they undergo a federally required screening. According to the news source, half of the hospitals nationwide now charge upfront fees for people who want to go to the emergency room.

"It has been a successful part of helping to reduce crowding in emergency rooms and to encourage appropriate use of scarce resources," HCA spokesman Ed Fishbough said in a statement.

According to the news source, this has prompted a strong reaction from some doctors, as they worry that people who are sick will forgo treatment due to the fee.

"This is a real problem," David Seaberg, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, told the news source.

ABC News reported that despite the move, there are still exemptions that are granted, as pregnant women, children younger than six and people who are older than 64 do not have to pay the fee.