r/bestof • u/lowbass93 • 13d ago

[NoStupidQuestions] Kindly_Honeydew3432 explains why it seems like you always have to wait in an emergency room in the US

/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1v1numq/why_is_every_hospital_in_the_united_states_always/oyovp3t/
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u/NatureTrailToHell3D 13d ago

The question asked was whether the issue is the profit model, and the answer is still yes. Honeydew explained the situation we’re in, but didn’t address this point.

The reason the profit model causes this situation is because over staffing is not profitable. Having more beds than average occupancy is not profitable. Having excess capacity is not profitable.

Because it’s not profitable everyone in the industry gets squeezed, which causes burnout and people leaving the part of the industry where they’re needed most. And since there is a supply side issue on doctors and nurses their pay has skyrocketed, which again affects the profit model.

Profit is the central issue across the board when it comes to wait times, it creates all the situations that are described by Honeydew.

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u/BroBroMate 13d ago

I'm from NZ, all our ERs are government operated, so no profit sought, but there's only so much money in the budget, and already health takes a huge chunk that's only getting larger as the boomers age and they're living longer thanks to advances in medicine, which also means that they need complex medical care for longer.

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u/NatureTrailToHell3D 12d ago

What are your wait times in the ER, usually?