Contrary to popular belief, most of the patients in emergency rooms have insurance, but are there because they can't get in to see their regular physician or are waiting for an inpatient bed. A new study released today by the American College of Emergency Physicians (and reported in the LA Times) indicates that about 15% of patients in ERs were people without health insurance.

The statistics hold true across the board, even for high utilizers of ERs (those who visited 4 or more times per year).

The report refutes a common misconception that the uninsured make up a substantial percentage of ER admissions.

What does this mean for you?

The lesson I take from this is to always question your assumptions (to quote one of Ayn Rand's heroes), and question your most basic assumptions about health care most aggressively.