The average wait time for an emergency room in California has risen to five hours--and thanks to Obamacare, some doctors fear it's about to get worse.
While many Californians have enrolled in healthcare through Obamacare, far fewer doctors are accepting that insurance than the law's proponents predicted. As a result, patients are heading to the emergency room to receive primary care.
According to Dr. Jay Kaplin of the American College of Emergency Physicians, almost half of emergency physicians are reporting that their emergency department visits have risen since Obamacare went into effect.
One emergency center in Fresno, California, at Community Regional Medical Center, is currently taking in 300-400 patients a day.
California doctor Robert Subers told his local news station he cannot accept some Obamacare insurance because the payments are so low he would end up owing money out of his own pocket for each visit. "If it was supposed to increase access to care, Obamacare, and if it was supposed to bring down healthcare costs, I'm trying to find out where it's done either," he said.