All one hears from politicians is how our medical system is the best in the world. Yet, Mike Herrera would likely beg to differ — if he was still alive. The 58-year-old man died of cardiac arrest after waiting 19 hours in the emergency room at Parkland Memorial Hospital. It is all caught on the video below.
Herrara went to the hospital complaining of a stabbing sensation in his stomach. When he arrived there were 164 people ahead of him and another 180 new patients would enter over the next 19 hours. Former restaurateur is captured on a surveillance video sitting in a chair until he eventually has a heart attack. While he arrived at 5 pm, he is only given lab tests and an x-ray at 9:26 a.m. Saturday.
His autopsy showed clogged arteries as well as diabetes and morbid obesity. The hospital is likely to argue that those conditions, not its shocking lack of care, was the cause of the death.
This tape is not unique as other cases have been brought after effective abandonment of patients led to deaths, here and here.
For the full story and video, click here.
I was so sad to read your article, when I had posted my own blog about a man being found dead in ER in western Canada after 34 hours, I had no idea wait times in some US hospitals would be so long. Many politicians here in Canada are telling us the US model of health care is superior. Thanks for the post, Andy
Yankee,
I had forgotten about that Texas bill. It was highlighted back in the 2000 election primary and cuts out the heart of Bush’s culture of life claims. McCain actually would make thing worse with his health care bill which would require Medicare and Medicaid cuts of over 1 Billion dollars to pay for it.
Is Texas truly a third world country?
Yes. Another example is the Texas Futile Care Law signed in 1999 by then Gov. Dubya (you know, party of life?). Under the Texas Futile Care Law, health care workers are allowed to remove expensive life support for terminally ill patients if the patient or family is unable to pay the medical bills.
Because the free market solves everything!
This type of story happens way too often. The President of the hospital was quoted as saying that he didn’t think they would do anything different. That amazes me. Of course, he doesn’t want to add any damaging statements into the record that would come back to haunt him in any subsequent law suit. This mentality and disconcern is criminal. The hospital should be sued and should be forced to decrease its wait times dramatically. Of course, as Prof. Turley said, our health care system is supposed to bethe best in the world. That is true if you are able to pay for it and pay through the nose for it.
Is Texas truly a third world country? As for the inevitable blame the victim argument that “[h]is autopsy showed clogged arteries as well as diabetes and morbid obesity. The hospital is likely to argue that those conditions, not its shocking lack of care, was the cause of the death.” Doesn’t everyone know that ER’s are there to care for healthy, well people and not dangerously sick ones?