Letters to the Editor: The real reason disadvantaged patients wait so long in the ER

To the editor: A photo of MLK Community Hospital was used with your editorial “ER patients are still being hurt by racial and gender biases,” implying that our patients face long wait times and racial and gender bias.

The opposite is true. MLK Community Hospital has some of the shortest wait times in L.A. County despite having a very high volume of patients. Our patient care staff — more than 90% people of color — do a magnificent job serving our diverse community, as our “Grade A” rating for patient safety shows.

The editorial also missed a larger point: Disadvantaged people experience longer wait times in emergency departments because hospitals that serve a high percentage of Medicaid patients (government insurance that covers low-income individuals) are often overcrowded. Medicaid underpays providers, contributing to doctor shortages that force residents of low-income communities to use emergency departments for needs as simple as medicine refills and care for the flu.

Lack of access to care, not personal bias, is a major reason EDs are crowded and wait times are long. Until our separate and unequal healthcare system pays providers adequately to treat all Americans, the biggest obstacle to equity will be the system itself.

Elaine Batchlor, M.D., Los Angeles

The writer is chief executive of MLK Community Healthcare.