24 Hours in the ER: Health care's front lines

USA TODAY chronicles 24 hours at the University of Virginia Medical Center emergency room and the health issues that confront the ER doctors, nurses and patients. These four videos, "Quality of Care," "The Uninsured," "ER Overuse" or "Opinions on Reform,"
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[alexciamiller]

In Australia, the government pays for our healthcare, and we give it back by paying for advanced transport options, speeding fines and tollways. We're not rich, but we're alive and fed.

[MsDeeds]

"Yeah, he was all grumpy and he chewed on ya, huh?" - Not really therapeutic to a 3/4 year old. But I laughed so hard...

[nicolek]

I feel awful for that doctor who worries about the patients who are not insured. He shouldn't have to worry about this. He should be able to treat people without hat worry. This is why US healthcare is so dreadful. You need a single payer system - it'll also be a lot cheaper.

[ibrahimabdalla]

I don't know why I feel like this would be a depressing hospital to be at.

[amaanisirajuddin]

One time my doctor admitted me to the ER for my mental health state and I honest to God felt so bad for wasting their time. I didn't even want to be admitted and every nurse and doctor looked at me like I was wasting their time, which I knew. I had no idea how crazy it really was for them until now

[EvilDeadMansChest]

In Belgium, at least every homeless person has right for medical care without the need of paying bills. It's a crime to refuse medical care.

[thomasnewton]

I think free health care should be available for everyone

[thecraftycyborg]

I can watch all kinds of health care things without blinking an eye, but seeing that child brought in via Life Flight, intubated, was heart wrenching for me. My little brother died on a Life Flight. He arrived at the Children’s Hospital intubated, having been resuscitated several times. He was declared DOA, dead on arrival.

[Alyssa]

“Americans enjoy one of the highest levels of care in the world”
And also have to pay for everything themselves

[thedje]

My grandad had a pain in his chest that he thought was indigestion He took my cousins to school and played 18 holes of golf, he then felt strange so went to the hospital where they checked him over then rushed him to the er because that chest pain was a massive heart attack and he required a quadruple bypass surgery

[xxAmandaCormierxx]

This is why I'm glad I live in Canada. The US is fucked when it comes to health care. Having to pay for health is ridiculous.

[rolando]

Born and raised in the U.S and I hear of all these other countries with free health care and I think that's great, so why not here, but money will always rule this country before anything else and that's sad...

[Nerflover]

In Canada, we have universal health care and that's the bare minimum. Wait times, not enough staff, tight funding, are just a few. We have one of the highest price rates for prescriptions, meaning we're paying hundreds out of pocket.

[AUSSIEMEGSCHANNEL]

Glad i live In Australia for this reason. Free healthcare

[SuperLaurajo]

Thank God I live in the UK regarding this. NHS is a beautiful thing.

[sunmiprez]

I'm glad health care is free here in the UK because if it wasn't me and my family would probably be on the streets.

[kayper]

It's alarming that the medical staff wouldn't believe their patients when they claim that their primary care physicians sent them to the ER. That's exactly how my daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor; I took her to her pediatrician who then sent us directly to the ER to get a CAT of her brain based upon her symptoms.

[chelongogan]

God bless the doctors and nurses in hospitals

[lashawndabarnett]

I walked out of the ER with a rapidly growing cancerous brain tumor TWICE. I paid for insurance and was working two jobs and going to college. They seen I was from the city, they seen my skin color, my age (21 at the time) and seen how many patients they had and assumed I was getting headaches from pregnancy, simply bc I refused to get a pregnancy test. I had been celibate for 6 years. If I didn't go back and refuse to leave I would of died of hydrocephalus!!!!
-3 years cancer free now!!
How many people have to almost and actually die for them to change healthcare?? They've got to scrap the whole thing and have people who work and do actual labor in hospitals and the tax payers decide this.

[kaityv]

An ER visit where i live is seriously $250. An ambulance ride varies, but it can sometimes be over $100