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Rhode Island’s Healthcare Crisis: Healthcare System Is On The Verge of Collapse – Nick Landekic
By Nick Landekic, contributing writer
Much has been written about Rhode Island’s healthcare crisis, which is even acknowledged by some state leaders.
Recently the elderly father of a friend lost consciousness and fell several times over a few days. His family took him to the Emergency Room of a major hospital in Providence (whose identity will be kept confidential out of respect for the overworked, dedicated doctors and nurses there). They arrived around 4:30 pm.
He was finally admitted at 5:00 pm – the next day. He spent over 24 hours on a gurney, in a corridor of the Emergency Room. During that time no one from the hospital brought him food, water, or helped him with toilet needs.
Some testing was done the following day – a day and a half after he came to the ER. The first doctor who saw him was described by my friends as “looking like they’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown” and “all they did was complain about how terrible the conditions were at the hospital.”
My friends described the scene there as frightening. “We were waiting to see goats and chickens running in the hallways.”
The hospital told them they have a 3 day maximum stay rule for most cases because they need the beds.
On the fourth day a CT scan revealed multiple pulmonary emboli, blood clots in the lungs, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. It took 4 days after he showed up at the ER to finally perform the tests that identified this issue. He was discharged after 4 days (and 3 nights, as the hospital predicted) and sent to a rehabilitation facility.
The rehab facility found a glass shard in his scalp, apparently missed by the hospital. His last fall before going to the hospital broke glass, but despite a head X-ray and four days spent there a glass shard and open wound were missed (and not because it was hidden by hair because he is bald).
Having a person wait on a gurney in a hallway for 24 hours, and taking 4 days to come up with a partial diagnosis, is appalling. Imagine having a stroke, heart attack, a dangerous heart arrhythmia, or other urgent medical problem, coming to the emergency room needing immediate life-saving medical care – and being left on a gurney in a hallway for 24 hours. How many people might not survive such a situation?
And then to miss something as obvious as a glass shard imbedded in a head wound?!
They made multiple calls to his specialist which were not returned. When finally speaking with him several days later, he said “If it were me I would rather just kill myself.”
If this experience is indicative of the state of hospitals in Rhode Island the situation is more dire than people realize.
Why is this happening in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island is losing doctors and nurses and increasing numbers of people don’t have access to a primary care physician. In the past year at least 29,500 Rhode Islanders lost access to primary care because of shrinkage or closing of medical practices.
There are several reasons for this, some of which are specific to Rhode Island:
- Low reimbursement rates in Rhode Island meaning doctors make less money here than in other neighboring states.
- Doctor burnout is especially high here due to high patient loads and stressful work conditions.
- Health systems are closing leaving Rhode Islanders without care and unable to find a doctor able to accept them. Anchor Medical closed leaving over 25,000 people without care.
- Doctors and nurses can make more money with easier working conditions in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut giving little reason to stay here.
Rhode Island’s hospitals are already overworked and overstressed, and the problem is about to get even worse. The bankrupt owner of both Roger Williams Medical Center and Fatima Hospital has filed a court motion to close both hospitals by the end of December – unless the state of Rhode Island takes them over.
These two hospitals together have over 500 beds – more than 20% of our total of 2,422 – and tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders depend on them for care. With their loss the remaining hospitals will become even more crowded and overworked, pushing the state’s healthcare system closer to collapse.
“The closure of Roger Williams or Fatima would cause ‘a tsunami of patients’ to descend on the emergency rooms at other hospitals, particularly Miriam Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital’, said John Fernandez, President of Brown University Health.
Fixing this serious problem requires our elected leaders to recognize the issue and be willing to do what is needed. This also includes money and the readiness to spend it on the right things, something lacking in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Spending Is Out of Control
Put simply, Rhode Island spends more per capita than most other states, but we have less to show for it.
A cursory analysis suggests Rhode Island is wasteful when it comes to spending money. Compared with other New England states Rhode Island spends more per capita than most. Even a perfunctory look at conditions in Rhode Island – our roads, bridges, services, state support for public health, library budgets, consumer protection – suggests we don’t receive the same level of support as residents of Massachusetts or other nearby states.
Compared with other states, on a per capita basis Rhode Island spends 50% more than Massachusetts, 73% more than Connecticut, and a staggering 150% more than Maine. Yet we have less to show for all this spending than these other states.
Let that sink in… Rhode Island spends two and a half times more per capita than Maine, and more than one and a half times more than Massachusetts.
All that spending doesn’t deliver impressive healthcare. Though data are now harder to come by because of budget cuts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and lack of data collection and reporting, we still stand as having the highest per capita reported rate of COVID infections.
Looking at healthcare from the perspective of the 250 highest ranked hospitals in the U.S. (as reported in Newsweek), Massachusetts has 8 hospitals in the top 250, New York has 6, Maine has 3, and Connecticut has 2. Rhode Island has none, even in the first 300.
Public health in general in Rhode Island is unimpressive. We reported the highest per capita death rate from COVID among nursing home residents, and stand as the state with the highest per capita rate of COVID infections across the population.
All that spending doesn’t give us good infrastructure either. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, Rhode Island has the 5th highest number of structurally unsound bridges in the country.
Our roads are just as bad. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, Rhode Island’s roads are also in bad shape and rated the worst in the country.
Medicare Recipients In Rhode Island Have Another Problem
Rhode Islanders on Medicare have another problem: we are one of a minority of northeast states without guaranteed issues rights for Medicare supplemental coverage (Medigap).
Over 50% of Rhode Islanders on Medicare choose a Medicare Advantage plan. While this combines healthcare, drug, and other benefits into one plan for greater convenience it often comes with the downside of less coverage than traditional Medicare plus a Medigap plan.
Starting this year and increasing in 2026 many Advantage plans are becoming much more restrictive and limited in coverage. Many health systems and hospitals are no longer accepting Medicare Advantage plans, such as Brown Health no longer accepting United Healthcare. Many Medicare Advantage plans are restricting coverage to only doctors within Rhode Island. Given the strained state of healthcare in Rhode Island, the loss of doctors, and the poor ratings and performance of local hospitals, being restricted to care solely in this state could be risky.
Traditional Medicare allows a person to see the doctors of their choice anywhere in the country. Medigap plans provide coverage for costs. The combination gives more options and freedom to go anywhere for care.
The problem in Rhode Island comes if wanting to switch from an Advantage plan back to Medicare plus Medigap. In Rhode Island insurance companies are allowed to reject a person or charge significant penalties based on their medical history, often making it unaffordable or impossible to switch. In comparison Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and New York have guaranteed issue rights where insurance companies must accept patients into Medigap and are not allowed to charge penalties.
Medicaid Cuts Will Hit Rhode Island Very Hard
One of the biggest hits to Rhode Island’s budget will be cuts in Medicaid. The latest federal budget plan includes $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts to states. This may hit Rhode Island especially hard. Our total Medicaid budget is $3.9 billion, of which we pay $1.3 billion. Rhode Island is expected to lose about $4 billion in federal Medicaid funding over 10 years.
About 30% of Rhode Island’s population is on Medicaid – around 326,000 people. Cuts in federal funding mean about 46,000 Rhode Islanders are projected to lose their Medicaid, and an additional approximately 40,000 people in the state could lose their healthcare insurance.
Rhode Island approved a 21% increase in health insurance prices for next year. Even for people who get their healthcare under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prices are going to increase 17%-30%. Price hikes reported in other states are resulting in price increases of $13,000-$24,000 a year, which many people won’t be able to afford.
Rhode Islanders already struggle to pay their bills. An Advance America survey found Rhode Island tied with Mississippi (just behind Alabama) as the second hardest state to make ends meet.
Nearly 100,000 people – about one tenth of the state’s population – could find themselves without health insurance. People without health insurance often have no choice but to use hospital emergency rooms for their healthcare. What will this do to our already overstressed, overcrowded hospitals and emergency rooms if another 100,000 people pack into them?
Where is all of our money going?
Why does Rhode Island spend so much per resident with relatively little to show for it?
The state GDP (Gross Domestic Product) does not seem to support such high spending. On a per capita basis our GDP is lower than most other New England states, being almost 50% below that of Massachusetts. Again even a casual look suggests bureaucracy, waste, and inefficiencies in Rhode Island.
There are 32 school districts in Rhode Island and 48 public libraries, distributed among 39 towns and municipalities. There are 158 fire stations in Rhode Island – more than either Los Angeles (106) or Chicago (92). All that bureaucracy results in duplicative, redundant organizational structures – and spending. Consolidation into a much smaller number of systems could save a lot of money. 5 school districts and library systems, one for each county, could eliminate dozens of duplicative cost structures. This is an expense that Rhode Island simply will not be able to afford going forward. This will be especially painful with the cost-cutting and elimination of federal support such as the closing of the federal Department of Education.
Perhaps even more expensive is the history and ingrained culture of corruption, graft, bribery, and payoffs in Rhode Island. It’s impossible to put a number on this. However, from what are likely just the tip of the iceberg reports on a few things such as…
- Wasted public money on falsified bridge inspection reports,
- Multi-million dollar no-bid contracts,
- Projects like the Pawtucket Soccer Stadium few seem to want but will cost state taxpayers $132 million for $27 million of actual construction costs,
- Consultants paid hundreds of thousands of dollars,
- Vastly overpaying for things as a form of what… payoffs?, and
- Questionable projects such as over $100 million in taxpayer money for a single building with no end in sight to cost overruns.
It seems clear this kind of waste is a significant part of the Rhode Island budget. All the money wasted on inefficiencies and corruption is money that isn’t available to deliver productive things for people – like better healthcare.
Governor McKee announced the proposed FY 2026 Rhode Island state budget totaling $14.2 billion. While it may seem like a modest 2.2% increase over last year, it’s also a 65% increase over 10 years vs. an $8.8 billion budget then. Rhode Island receives $6,821 per resident in federal funding. This is the second highest of all states behind only Alaska.
It also includes an assumed massive $5.1 billion of support from the federal government – which would account for a whopping 36% of the total budget, increased from a previous 26%.
This is untethered from reality. We are sleepwalking into a major financial crisis that could make Rhode Island a failed state.
With President Donald Trump’s radical budget cuts and freezes already enacted and more to come, expecting the federal government will send Rhode Island over $5 billion is not likely. The announced expected budget shortfall of ‘only’ $223 million could end up actually being billions of dollars.
Among many other cuts President Trump has already withheld over $28 billion in federal funding and another $11 billion in Army Corps of Engineers projects destined for blue states. Of the $5.1 billion in counted on federal support in this year’s state budget, how much will be held or clawed back?
Rhode Island’s Spending Is Out of Control and Unsustainable
Rhode Island has been on a sugar high for the past few years gorging on federal funding in part related to the COVID pandemic, ranging from $4.9-$5.3 billion per year since 2022.
The problem has been made worse by Rhode Island having used one-time funding to prop up deficits in recurring costs – which is like borrowing money from the bank to support a bad ongoing habit.
The recent debacle with the Washington Bridge, and looming problems with the Mt. Hope Bridge, show the dire condition of our infrastructure – and underscore both what non-recurring federal monies could have been used for, and the impending need for future funding.
Budgeting is very simple. When spending exceeds income, there are only a few options: spend less, make more, or change how you work. For Rhode Island this means –
- Major budget cuts.
- Major tax increases.
(likely a combination of both tax increases and budget cuts)
- Grow the economy. Rhode Island is a tiny state with few natural resources and no major economic or industrial base. Hasbro, previously one of Rhode Island’s largest companies, is leaving for Boston. Politicians often talk about ‘growth’ but it’s hard to see what would drive it here. A recent WalletHub study ranked Rhode Island dead last among states for attractiveness to start a business.
- Eliminate redundancy, waste, and fraud. This would probably be the hardest for Rhode Island to accomplish – given expected resistance from those who may profit from it.
This would also be difficult because there isn’t a $5 billion line item in the budget for ‘waste and corruption’ one can easily point to. The inflated spending and waste are imbedded in every project and budget, and in the culture of the people doing it.
The reality of the new world we’re living in is states must become increasingly self-reliant and find ways to finance themselves without the federal government. 19 states including Massachusetts and Connecticut already send more money to the federal government than they receive and could be financially independent. Rhode Island will need to learn from them.
If Rhode Island’s per capita state spending was closer to that of Massachusetts or Connecticut the total state budget would be about $9 billion – and, importantly, would not rely on federal subsidies. Given the state’s weak economy we should model ourselves on Maine’s efficient spending that would make our total budget about $6 billion – which would free up $1-$2 billion dollars for healthcare or even tax cuts. Whether we like it or not (and most people, especially in state government, won’t) this is what we must work towards.
What Can Be Done?
Plenty. But it will take money, courage, leadership, and the willingness to be realistic and take decisive action on the part of our elected leaders – none of which seems to be evident.
Dr. Michael Fine, former state medical director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, has talked eloquently and written extensively on what can be done to solve Rhode Island’s worsening healthcare crisis.
Rhode Island recently passed legislation to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates to match those of Medicare. This was an important first step to reduce reasons for physicians to leave the state. More actions need to be taken as other reimbursement rates remain much lower in Rhode Island than Massachusetts.
Steps must be taken not just to bring Rhode Island into parity with nearby states to reduce the reasons physicians are leaving, but to make Rhode Island more attractive to incentivize doctors and nurses to want to move from other states to work here.
Among other measures recommended by Dr. Fine, if you are concerned about you and your family having access to quality healthcare in Rhode Island call or write your elected representatives and press them to take several actions:
- All reimbursement rates for Medicare and other health insurance for procedures and care in Rhode Island must be increased to match those in Massachusetts and Connecticut. This will remove an incentive for doctors to leave the state.
- Rhode Island must adopt the same guaranteed issue protections for Medicare supplemental insurance (Medigap) as offered by other states including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and New York.
- Actions must taken to encourage more primary care physicians to practice in Rhode Island, such as expanding or adding medical schools, state funding of residencies and internships, and other financial incentives such loan forgiveness, free medical school tuition, reasons for physicians to move to Rhode Island in exchange for practicing in the state.
- Provide financial support to those who cannot afford primary health care and insure they have access without having to use hospital emergency rooms for their primary care. This will be especially important going forward with the major cuts in federal funding for Medicaid.
- Increase state financial support to hospitals for treating low-income and uninsured patients, to offset cuts in federal programs.
- State money must be found to keep Roger Williams Medical Center and Fatima Hospital open. Rhode Island has too few hospitals, physicians, and nurses as it is. We cannot afford to lose more than one fifth of our hospital beds.
All of these will take money that is in short supply in Rhode Island, which is why the most important thing you can do is –
- Vote for leaders who recognize the issues and are committed to making meaningful changes to reduce waste, corruption and make Rhode Island’s spending more efficient.
If Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and other states can spend less per capita yet deliver more and better healthcare, we can too.
Are Rhode Island’s leaders and legislators up to this critical challenge? Even Speaker Joe Shekarchi has said “Rhode Island’s healthcare system is on the verge of a collapse.”
If our politicians acknowledge our healthcare system is on the verge of collapsing, why won’t they do something about it?
It’s not optional. It’s hard to see a future where federal funding to states isn’t significantly cut. States that have been highly reliant on this and incapable of adapting will be devastated. Given the blinding speed of what has already happened in Washington in just the past few months, that time is coming soon.
A favorite ploy of politicians is to kick the can down the road. That only works until you run out of road.
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Nick Landekic of Bristol is a retired C.E.O. and biotechnology entrepreneur who has spent more than 35 years working in the pharmaceutical industry.
While this is an immensely sad article and that state of healthcare in Rhode Island is not good, I love the solution focused suggestions offered here. And I wonder which gubernatorial candidate is going to be the one to take on these challenges with the recommendations listed (vs being given money by lobbyists / insurance companies to support them).
Thank you Susan. In my deciding who to vote for governor next year, a major factor will be who takes healthcare the most seriously and presents the most compelling plan for addressing the major problems in Rhode Island.
We all need healthcare. Unfortunately many people don’t think about it until something bad happens, an acute crisis that requires a trip to the hospital. The way things are in Rhode Island, that may not work out too well.
Covid devastated families and no one talks about it. How many tax sales have there been since 2021? How many homes were snatched up and stolen from people? Our Healthcare is in a state of disarray and worse homelessness is at an all time high. Yet, the state does nothing. I was told to leave RI because I would get more help in a larger state. But I see wastefulness in MA too. I see the illegals in hotels. As an American citizen I expect more from my elected officials. I do vote and pay taxes.
Gigi, there is waste in any system and state. However, the comparisons between Rhode Island and Massachusetts are night and day. There are multiple top 250 hospitals in Massachusetts, yet the state spends 50% less per capita than Rhode Island – indicating much more efficiency and much less waste.
No system is perfect, but some are much better than others. There are good doctors in Rhode Island, but they are severely stressed and overworked. Overall, there’s a better chance of getting significantly better healthcare in Massachusetts.
It doesn’t have to be that way. We can learn from and follow the examples of Massachusetts, Maine, and other states. But we need competent leaders willing to be realistic and courageous to do it.
This is frightening. My wife and I lost our PCP who went to a practice in MA. This is in line with the number of RI residents who work in Massachusetts vs the number of Massachusetts residents working here. Approximately 95,000 RI people work in MA and about 25,000 MA residents work here. Think about the difference in population in the two states. This speaks to the lack of jobs and also the failed policies of the state to attract and retain business.
It’s been a pure nightmare for me for the past year between Miss diagnosis and waiting months for appointments and numerous hospitalizations. I am now in debt. I am a senior and I was a very healthy senior. We are the ones that are on the bottom of the barrel. The medical system in the state is ready to implode
My original comment only addressed the lack of care for Nick’s friend’s father. But I see that there’s so much more involved. I live 5,00 miles away and have been warned by friends and family about the healthcare crisis in Rhode Island, and suggesting that I not move back because I have very complicated health issues and 10 specialists. Apparently getting a PCP here in less than 6 months is nearly impossible and without a PCP, getting a referral to a specialist isn’t going to happen. I am here visiting family in Rhode Island and had an unexpected brain bleed a week after arriving. Upon release from the hospital, my discharge instructions were to see my PCP (none) and have a follow-up appointment with a Neurologist. I wasn’t allowed to fly for at least a month, or drive until the follow-up. The hospital KNEW I had NO doctors here, yet I wasn’t given a referral, even to their own neurology clinic! Pretty pathetic and rather frustrating.
I called around and was told that IF I HAD A referral the first appointment was in 6 months if it was an emergency.
I’ve been told that there’s a shortage of 4,000 PCPs in RI, although I don’t know where that number came from. I haven’t been able to find one to take me before May. Fortunately a volunteer visiting Nurse from a Brown University stroke program made a call and got me an appointment in the Neurology clinic and I’ve been cleared to fly. So I can get back to my Cardiologist and Nephrologist among others. At least I can get back home before I die from lack of treatment.
I hope RI residents contact their representatives and get them on board to fixing the problem
It is a huge problem – I’ve found the best way to get a PCP is to appeal to your insurance company and within a week or so they have found a primary care for someone- getting an appt. is another matter. Oftentimes a Nurse Practitioner is where they start –
kim and Lucy M.S., I’m sorry to hear of your experiences. Unfortunately it seems to be all too common nowadays in Rhode Island. This is what may await any of us if we need to go to the hospital.
It’s too easy for most people to put this out of their minds, but no one can predict when they will have a health problem and need to go to the emergency room.
I hope you are able to find care.
So sorry for your father’s experience. I was transferred from the Westerly ER by ambulance to a major hospital in Providence. Maybe it was the fact that I was brought from another ER by ambulance, but I was immediately attended to, places in an observation type ER room with about 8 staff, and got food and drink when I asked for it. I was also admitted and moved to a room in the morning, about 5 hours after I arrived. And no, I’m not anyone special. Actually I’m a tourist, and Westerly hospital told them that I was uninsured (which I’m not). I was extremely lucky, I survived my brain bleed. I would have thought they would have prioritized your father because of the nature of his condition!
I was a patient in a RI hospital back in June with Covid. I was placed in a negative pressure room about 75 sf, that was filled with thick dust everywhere. I have a history of severe emphysema. My doctor could not get me into a “clean” room and nobody in the hospital thought to come in my room and clean it. He decide I was safer at home and discharged me home. When I filed a complaint with the hospital the nurse who handles complaints (a former DOH employee) well … she pulled the old company line and lied and made me feel like I had made it all up.
I am now scared to death to go to any hospital in RI. I am slowly dying from emphysema and suicide seems to be a safer route than going to a ER in RI the next time my lungs fill with infection.
Thank you for this well written article that speaks the truth.
Clare – you should reach out to talk to people about your thoughts – I’d encourage you to do so – Call 988 or contact the Samaritans, here in RI: (401) 272-4044 or (800) 365-4044 – one day at a time. I’m not sure where you are calling from but I find the hospital care changes day by day – do you have an advocate who can call there as well if you are admitted. I wish you all the best.
Clare, thank you for your kind words. I’m saddened to hear of your experiences, both the care you received and your attempts to speak up about it. You should not have been treated this way. I share your concerns and reluctance to go to any hospital in Rhode Island.
You may want to consider filing complaints directly with the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Rhode Island Department of Health Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, and the Attorney General.
I wish you all the best in finding good health care (you might want to consider going to Massachusetts, to Mass General or Brigham, both rated much more highly than any Rhode Island hospital).
Nick , excellent research!!! This should be published in ProJo !!! By the way South County is on the brink of failure also . Long waiting times in the ED and the community is angry and dissatisfied. Also compounded be very poor leadership and incompetence from the Board of Trustees.
John, thank you for your kind words. I know our physicians and nurses in the state are absolutely overwhelmed and overworked with impossible workloads. Unless people speak out and contact their state representatives, change is unlikely to happen.
What a great opinion piece! For years I have opined that we need to blow up the current health care delivery system and alliances, and start putting it back together in an infrastructure that is cost effective, and streamlined to provide quality patient care. As the smallest state in the union we should be the role model for effective and efficient health care!
We undersy=tand, Sandy. Do our elected officials?
Whoa – what a story and and ongoing nightmare being – encore – relived …… the sobering description of the author’s friends’ father is quite frightening .. and brought back a similar situation – that happened within HOURS and DAYS – when (we) lost our beloved Mom – a dedicated Nurse herself – to an exact medical issue, which sadly took her life many years ago …..
Yes, leadership excellence – not political rhetoric – should be the fodder for our elected and appointed leaders in making ‘excellence’ a cardinal rule ….
A superb, and frightening analysis by Nick. Note how scientific and fact-based is his report.
Nick, you are correct. We need action by competent, committed leaders SOON. If not, our citizens will get sicker; many will die.
Nick had completed it before the awful news about Rog. Wms Hosp and Fatima – that only makes it more serious.
Indeed it does, Nancy.
Thank you so much Ed, I appreciate your kind words.
Unfortunately we’ve run out of time, and our elected leaders have run of out the proverbial road to kick the can down. They need to act immediately, decisively, and thoughtfully. Otherwise, as you said, many of our residents will get sicker and many will needlessly die.
The winter flu and COVID seasons will be here very shortly – not a good time to be losing Roger Williams Medical Center and Fatima Hospital.
I agree. Maybe our elected officials need to visit the emergency rooms to understand.
Nick, on top of it, I believe the Health Department is understaffed and under- budgeted.
Are we ready for the next epidemic? No way!
Ed, I completely agree with you. Perhaps if our legislators, and especially our seemingly absent governor, visited the emergency rooms it might drive home to them the urgent need for action.
I have repeatedly reached out to my local representatives, usually to be ghosted with no acknowledgement, and occasionally with a disappointing reply along the lines of ‘That’s terrible but there’s nothing I can do’ or ‘I don’t follow that issue.’
EVERY elected leader MUST make healthcare in Rhode Island their highest priority. If they don’t we can expect nothing short of disaster.
While I am not surprised by the analysis, which is not only accurate but also highlights the severity of the issue and the lack of action being taken, I was initially enthusiastic when I heard about Brown University’s takeover, but my enthusiasm quickly changed. From my understanding, many of the high-level upper management personnel were retained. Why, because of the great job they did, or was it a payoff?
The hospital closings and hospital consolidations in the last several years were nothing more than a kiss of death for the remaining hospitals, and it was absurd that the state allowed it to happen.
Rhode Island Hospital has always been favored, and I’ve yet to figure out why. It is not uncommon to sit for hours in the waiting room without any service. We are losing doctors at a rate faster than we are hiring them. Doctors are spending more time filling out reports than giving personal care to the patients.
Costs are out of control, and in most cases, they are too expensive for the average person. All of a sudden, Rhode Island has established a monopoly that is not in the best interest of the state or its communities.
Sadly, over the past several months, I’ve heard of departures of medical staff, as they are often poorly managed. Something needs to be done NOW! And what we don’t need is another study.
James and Jack, thank you for your comments.
I agree, we don’t need yet another ‘study.’ The problems are painfully clear for all to see, and rapidly getting worse.
There are solutions to improve the situation, as have been clearly articulated by Dr. Michael Fine and included in this article. I have yet to see any elected official meaningfully acting on them.
There will be no savior galloping over the hill to rescue us. If the healthcare system in Rhode Island collapses it would probably catalyze a cascade resulting in us becoming a failed state. Everyone must press our elected leaders to take action, now.
It’s very doable. As I described, other states spend much less per capita than Rhode Island, and have much better healthcare to show for it. It’s up to our elected leaders to stop wasting money and spend it wisely and on the right things, as other states have plainly shown can be done.