It was once commonly accepted that emergency rooms nationwide were overflowing with uninsured patients. While it is true that the number of emergency room patients is increasing, the percentage of these patients without insurance is declining. According to the New York Times, more and more insured patients are going to emergency rooms to obtain care they cannot receive elsewhere, or because they cannot make an appointment with their physician right away.

Thus, E.R. overcrowding cannot be blamed on large numbers of uninsured individuals seeking care. It is possible that emergency rooms become overcrowded because hospitals are overcrowded in general, and patients must remain in the E.R. because there are not enough beds for admitted patients.