the Cost of Emergency Medical Procedures

There was a hurrican warning and we evacuated our manufactured home and headed for a friend's first floor brick condo. As I was walking from the car to the front door, I tripped on a concrete front tire bumper in the parking lot and cut my right shin. I put a wet towel on it, pressed hard for what I thought was a long time and the bleeding just wouldn't stop. We decided I needed to go to the emergency room.

I got right in as I was the only one there - a very unusual situation. They took my vital signs and finally got my leg to stop bleeding. The wound was serious enough for several stitches, but because the skin is so thin on that part of the leg, they couldn't put any in. They bandaged it, gave me a prescription for pain, if I needed it, and sent me home with instructions to see my regular doctor in three days to check for infection.

I didn't have insurance, but that didn't matter to them. I'm sure I got the same treatment that I would have if I had insurance. Although I could pay the bill, they showed me all the payment plans they had available.

I was treated with respect - I was afraid they would make fun of me because it wasn't life threatening.

They were attentive and sympathetic.

If you need to go to the hospital, don't wait. They told me one of their worst cases could have been much easier to handle if the people had come in at the onset of symptoms.

Don't worry if you don't have insurance, they will help you with that.