alt Hacker NewsI guess that's because many/most countries don't have the concept of a private emergency department.
It doesn't really matter how much money you have if you have a broken leg as you'll be queuing up with everyone else for the triage and initial treatment.
I have amazing private healthcare coverage in the UK through my employer. I've had certain treatments done in under a week where the NHS waiting lists for the same procedure are measured in years.
But if I have a serious acute illness, or break a bone, my private healthcare can't help other than give me a telephone appointment with a doctor within 10 minutes at which point they'll say "What are you doing calling us? Go to the emergency department now!"
After the initial triage/treatment/stabilisation there may be a different pathway for people with private healthcare, but the doors of the emergency department are the first port of call for pretty much everyone who is in dire need.
(I'm sure for people who are seriously rich there are private arrangements, most people with serious money have doctors/dentists/etc on retainer, but these are the 0.001%)
Australia reporting in.
We have private emergency rooms. We call them urgent care and you can go and see a qualified physician with allied health services (radiology, pathology). If they can fix you up they will. If not you get transferred via ambulance to the nearest public hospital and triaged as required.
I took my kid to one last weekend as they had been diagnosed by our family Dr as having pneumonia. The emergency physician ordered chest x-ray and full suite of pathology and we had results in less time than we would have waited in the public hospital waiting room. Yes we paid.