ACEP Urges Senate TO PROTECT Emergency Patients or Shut Down The Health Care Bill

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today issued a statement, saying that now that the U.S. Senate is debating a health care replacement bill, it must include provisions to protect emergency patients, or else shut down the bill down, according to ACEP's president, Dr. Rebecca Parker:

"Like all Americans, we don't know what the final health care bill will look like, but we are very concerned it may not include appropriate protections for emergency medical patients and will cause tens of millions of Americans to lose their health insurance coverage. The inevitable consequence of such policies would lead to overcrowding in emergency departments, which are already seeing record numbers of patients. In addition, when patients have insurance with high deductibles, they often delay medical care until the problem becomes an emergency. This also will create burdens on ERs that are unsustainable and dangerous

"We will be watching the debate closely this week. During the next few days, we urge senators to consider and protect consumers throughout this process by maintaining emergency care as an essential health benefit, ensuring patients' ability to seek and receive emergency medical care when and where it is needed, and helping Americans obtain and keep meaningful health care coverage for themselves and their families."

ACEP is the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

ACEP Logo. (PRNewsFoto/American College of Emergency Physicians) (PRNewsfoto/ACEP)