US Pharm. 2009;34(8):8.
Washington, DC -- New data released by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius uncovered that uninsured persons accounted for nearly one-fifth, or two out of every 10 patients, of the 120 million hospital-based emergency department visits in 2006. The data were collected from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, the largest all-payer emergency department database in the United States. The database contains 26 million records from emergency department visits from approximately 1,000 community hospitals nationwide. "Our health care system has forced too many uninsured Americans to depend on the emergency room for the care they need," said Sebelius.
To comment on this article, contact rdavidson@jobson.com.
