The ER doctor will see you, just shell out $150 first

From the Bangor Daily News:

Next time you go to an emergency room, you should be prepared for this: If your problem isn’t urgent, you may have to pay upfront.

Last year, about 80,000 emergency-room patients at hospitals owned by HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, left without treatment after being told they would have to first pay $150 because they did not have a true emergency.