this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2026
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Just out of curiosity, what are American wait times like for the uninsured? Infinite?
Currently, emergency rooms are bound by law to provide care to all patients, regardless of insurance status. Busy emergency rooms will triage patients, ensuring those who need care the most get it first. Unfortunately for uninsured patients, the hospital will hand them a bill as they leave; something simple as wound cleaning and a few stitches will run upwards of several thousand dollars. That total can exceed tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on level care and length of stay.
A family member of mine recently had a medical episode while we were at a restaurant. Spontaneous syncope followed by prolonged lightheartedness and loss of balance. The ambulance ride to the hospital alone cost over $7000. They arrived at the ER around 4pm and was released shortly before midnight. Within a couple hours of arriving my family member felt and that they had fully recovered, but the ER would not release her until a doctor was available to bring her into the back and discuss her test results. Around 10pm the doctor finally called her back; they found nothing out of the ordinary in her blood work, heart seemed to be working fine. We waited two more hours before they would release her.
The bill for the ambulance, ER care, and about a baker's dozen of various fees and incidentals, was over $23000. Thankfully they had insurance, which covered most of it, but they still had to pay several thousand out of pocket for going to an "out of network" hospital. That alone is infuriating because not only is the entire concept of in-or-out of network medical providers a predatory practice, the choice of which ER to go to was up to the paramedics, it was never up to us. Even if it was up to us, we had no way of quickly knowing which local hospitals, if any, were "in network."
No, just like anywhere else, wait times are based on urgency. A severed limb will be taken instantly, a bloody nose will wait until there’s an empty bed. Doesn’t matter if you’re insured or not.
Uninsured will just get billed a full amount after the fact (payable in installments to the hospital), vs insured who might have to pay a copay, and then a few month later will get billed a reduced amount, after the insurance company chooses what they’ll cover.
I speak from experience. I was uninsured for a short time, and of course my appendix chose that time to rupture. I was admitted and in the ER instantly. Spent three days recovering in the hospital. Before I left the hospital had a bill for me. It was very high. I set up a payment plan. Eventually I stopped making payments, because I was broke. Hospital sent my bill to a collector. I blew them off.
Was unable to get a loan for a house for 10 years.