The emergency department entrance at Albany General Hospital after midnight on Monday, March 30, 2026. You can’t see the people in the waiting areas.
You may have heard that our health care system in Oregon is in trouble. Going to the Albany emergency room gives you a small demonstration of what is going on.
What’s going on, in short, is that there are too many people needing care and not enough people to take care of them. Not enough space either.
Late Sunday night, Albany Fire Department medics took me to the emergency department of Samaritan Albany General Hospital. The place was packed.
As usual, the nurses and other staff did their good work, calmly, efficiently, making me feel better right away. Then they had me sit in a wheelchair in the hall, awaiting lab results.
There was no available bed in the ER because some patients there could not leave. Three of them, I was told, had been there three days. They were waiting to be discharged into a nursing home. But nursing homes were full and could not accept them.
Four others were waiting to be taken somewhere else because the hospital was full. But transportation was not available just then.
In the waiting areas, people were sitting, some slumped over. A couple of young mothers had toddlers sleeping in their arms.
Was this unusual? The answer was no, it’s like this most of the time.
Earlier this year, former Governor John Kitzhaber wrote about the crisis. His article in the The Oregonian began:
“The infrastructure of our health care system is beginning to crumble, and we haven’t fully grasped the gravity of the situation. Over half our hospitals are operating at a loss, according to Oregon Health Authority data. In December 2023, Peace Health’s University District Hospital in Eugene closed. Ashland Community Hospital will will close its birthing center this spring and stop providing inpatient services. Last year over 1,000 hospital employees were laid off. Across Oregon, medical clinics and practices, especially independent practices, are struggling to remain solvent.”
Kitzhaber, a retired emergency doctor, had no immediate solution to propose. He said only that costs must be reduced. How?
“In the long-term, it means addressing the complexity and misaligned incentives in how health care is financed and delivered, consolidating state purchasing power to negotiate better drug prices, recognizing the role that labor and workforce must play in crafting a solution, and having an honest conversation about the growing disparity between unlimited demand and the reality of finite resources.”
Yes, but what are the practical steps we must take? At least in the short term, the answer cannot be: Don’t get sick. (hh)
A good start would be to not give in to the unions every time they go on strike. Show them the door. The wage increases are not sustainable.
I disagree here. It is not the nurses and doctors who are getting overpaid. You nailed it further down. Insurance needs to be reigned in, hospital higher ups also need the same. More hospitals need to be ran not for profit.
I agree with you on this~ executives need to be paid less, some of their salaries and bonuses are absolutely outrageous and insurance needs to realign their fee structure. Not for profit is not always the answer tho, look at PeaceHealth, they are having many issues and they have been not for profit for years.. our whole healthcare system is a mess.
I completely agree with you. This idea that health care is something you profit off of is ridiculous. The biggest problem out there is that the insurance companies refuse to pay the real cost of care, only some arbitrary percentage. So the hospitals are forced to “raise” their prices in order to get paid a better percentage of the cost. The only system that would work is to have Medicare for All, with premiums being paid into one large pot and single payer outlays. Private hospitals and clinics could still exist, and the really wealthily could go pay them, they do anyway.
Next would be to get the insurance companies under control. Ridiculous what they get away with and what they profit.
Universal Health Care like every other First World status country on this earth has…that is the answer. But, no, our rich people (read that as Republicans and Trumpers…and a lot of them are in the Insurance and Pharmacy businesses) do not want Government-run healthcare). It would cut off their raking in vast amounts of money.
Medicare For All!!!
“Swedish healthcare in crisis – ‘continues year after year'” – Sweden Herald (November 2025)
“Canada’s hospital emergency rooms have hit a breaking point. Is it the new normal?” – CBC News (March 2026)
“Why the NHS wastes billions on patients who shouldn’t be in hospital” – BBC (January 2026)
“Medical wait times cost Canadian patients over $4.2 billion in lost wages and productivity” – CTV News / Global News (March 2026)
“Australia’s universal healthcare is crumbling” – BBC (April 2025)
“Wes Streeting threatens to break up failing NHS trusts as satisfaction stays low” – Sky News (2026)
Go to Canada or Great Britain.If you think universal health care is the answer.
You think wait times are long now? We know people in canada and it is Much worse!
You can also think obamacare , for this mess , we are in
I stood in line for Shakespeare Festival tickets in Ashland behind some women from Canada. They said they would not set foot in the U.S. if they didn’t have a card they can get before they come here that guarantees them Canadian healthcare system while visiting in the U.S. And, yes, I would move to Canada, but I don’t have the required amount of money, and I’m too old.
Rot is at the top!
A great deal of blame can be laid at the feet of Republicans who DO NOT believe in their hearts that health care is a commodity, not a human right. As a result, the Congressional Budget Office (controlled by GOP) reports that “The top 10% of wealthy Americans now control 60% of the nation’s wealth, while the poorer half of the country holds only 6%, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office. ….subtract Social Security from the equation, the top 10% control nearly 70% of the nation’s wealth, and the bottom half holds only 3%”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what’s going on here. In fact, I’m surprised Hasso hasn’t explored the relationship between the wealthy and their ability to cling to that wealth even as rural hospitals close and the reality that Hering is forced to wait for lengthy periods in Emergency Care. This inequality, and the Right’s refusal to view health care as a right for all is precisely why, Mr. Hering, you were forced to wait amongst the great unwashed.
Thank you, Hartman. You are my hero. Hasso doesn’t talk about healthcare….not until he had had these two trips to ER…one in Salem and one now in Albany. Hasso doesn’t talk about politics. And, yes, I think it pried open his eyes to have to go to Albany ER and face reality…among the “great unwashed” as they used to say in olden days.
As usual you blame the Republicans but Covid policies by the Biden administration broke The Corvallis Clinic and many other providers. In addition, they fired 39% of health care employees who refused the vaccine shots. And everybody loves to blame insurance companies but look who provides campaign contributions to the Democrats, insurance companies. In 2009 when Obamacare was passed but wasn’t to go into effect until 2014, Kaiser raised the insurance rates to the company I own by 14% and increased our employees copays by 50%. At the same time, they were the 8th largest political contributor to the Obama campaign. Those are facts Hartman, not wishful thinking like you continually provide.
Right on Hasso, I view the system from both the insurance side as a broker who hears from clients about their experiences navigating American healthcare, and someone who gets medical care when needed with high out pocket costs even with private insurance. Yes, the system is a mess. Demographics play a role with an aging and growing Medicare population that pays smaller reimbursement to providers. An aging population also means more nurses and physicians who retire and no longer provide care. I cringe when I hear politicians of any stripe talk about these very real problems. If anyone simplifies this into an easy fix, beware….Let’s just say staying healthy is at a premium these days!
As someone who made script deliveries to nursing homes for my father, in the 1970s, I quickly learned you do not want to end up in a nursing home. My parent were lucky to be able to spend their last few years at the Mennonite Village. I spent a lot of time there with them. As someone with experience seeing all sides, I can assure everyone Mennonite Village is a much better way to live your last days than the average public nursing home
Most of us can’t afford to go to Mennonite Village. Glad your parents could.
I hope you are doing ok, Hasso. Take care of yourself.
How many folks are there that could go to a immediate care center during the day time. I remember a time when Emergency rooms were for emergencies only.
Big changes and downgrades have happened at Immediate Care Centers, too. They are for cuts and scrapes now, mostly. Most of them have no access to a lab for getting results from lab work. Most of them have no x-ray machines now. They are worthless almost.
So, everyone now has to go to ER. Sorry to say you are behind the times in your knowledge. I think the only Urgent Care (or Immediate Care) in Albany that has access to a lab or an x-ray machine is the new privately owned one on Santiam Road near I-5.
Corvallis Clinic up on Hospital Hill in Corvallis has Immediate Care that has access to a lab and to x-ray. But, that is a long way to go for Albany people who have a health emergency.
I had XRays done at the Urgent Care on Gary & Queen. I’ve been there many times when I couldn’t get in to see my Dr at Corvallis Clinic. Usually they are quite capable of taking care of me (mostly lung related issues). Overall, it’s been a positive experience.
Immediate care generally require payment upfront before being seen and the doctors office takes time to get in to. The ER cannot turn someone away so people are starting to use it for basic care needs.
I was there Friday mid-day with a true emergency, and the wait was almost nothing. Perhaps they are doing a good job prioritizing care with triage, and those who can are visiting urgent care centers or primary care facilities when they are open. I think your wait was probably due to being there in the weekend. I hope all is well with you!
Our population is aging and more people need care. Fewer people are working in healthcare and fewer taxpayers are paying into the system. No one wants to deny care to any person in need. So, how exactly do we afford to pay for everyone who wants to come here and get services? I don’t have an answer, but we can’t open our doors to the world when we can’t provide care to those who already live here.
Broken healthcare, roads, schools, airports, immigration, courts, prisons, mental health facilities, food for the food less, housing for the homeless… and you all still dont want to pay your income taxes, or hold your elected representatives to account for bonehead decisions that have never – in the last 50 years – benefited you? Lets just keep complaining? I see how this work now. Someone please add to the list. I sure am forgot some things..,
I hope whatever caused you to experience the ER at midnight isn’t too serious.
Sending healing thoughts your way.
I hope you are well, Hasso.
You certainly hit a nerve with this story!!!! Are you okay Hasso?
Yes, thanks.
Hope you are ok! My mom went there last year. Once they decided she was not having a heart emergency, they told her to wait for a doctor to see her. It was a quiet day in the ER. We left 4 hours later without seeing a doctor. Then it went into her record that she had left instead of waiting like she was supposed to.
I have spent time in the ER with my daughter several times in the last couple of years,and it continues to get worse all the time. If you come in by ambulance you get taken care of right away,but otherwise you can spend hours waiting. Something needs to change, but the governor who was thrown out of office has no real solutions.
Follow the money. Insurance and for-profit hospital executives make millions, profiting off those who need life-saving care.
We need healthcare for all in Oregon to set prices at a reasonable rate and pay nurses and doctors for the hard work they do. Let’s stop paying a middle man to steal from us all.
Maybe it will be better later this year, now that MultiCare Health Systems (based in Tacoma, WA) has acquired Samaritan Health Services (they’re calling it an affiliation.) I guess the deal is currently under review by OHA; I read that it is expected to close in mid-2026. One can but hope things get better!
Ah yes…it’s all Trump’s fault even though it’s called OBAMA CARE. You all need to get a new theme song…this one is well past it’s ‘sell by’ date.
There are several reasons why our healthcare system is in crisis (and in no particular order):
– OBAMA CARE – It was supposed to make healthcare more affordable by forcing everyone to pay into the system only the ‘system’ (insurance companies) jacked up the price of health insurance. By the times you paid for the insurance and/or penalty for not being able to afford insurance but not qualifying for OHP, you couldn’t afford to see the doctor.
– When money is tight, the last bill a person will pay is doctor/hospital bills. Why? Unlike not paying mortgage/rent and losing your home, or not paying your car payment and getting it repo’d or not paying the electric or water bill and getting it shut off…you can ALWAYS go to the ER for medical care even if you can’t pay. But medical care is NOT free…someone has to pay for the doctors and the nurses, for the electric and the water, for the medicines and the food and the supplies…which means higher prices.
– Covid – If any of you have any doctors or nurses in your family you know what these folks went through…they worked extra hours, they didn’t see their families for sometimes weeks at a time. At first they were treated like heroes…then the vaccine came along and anyone who refused were immediately fired and vilified. When it was decided that it was ‘okay’ to not ve vaccinated and folks were asked to come back…is it any surprise that they said “eff you”?
Follow the money! Management always has budget for their own salary, and they’ll purposefully under-staff ERs overnight to cut costs, and hire out-of-state contractors instead of using local docs if it means they can transfer a few bucks to themselves. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CotUW2QqbGw
I’m going to guess that a high percentage of folks that go the ER don’t need to. That is why we have urgent care facilities all over Albany.
But with that said…
I recently had to go to urgent care and I listened to the front office staff tell those in need that they would have to return 4 or 5 hours later.
The reality behind that situation was they only had one doctor working. That was so ridiculous and inconvenient for everyone!
Tell you what – I’ll name them – North Albany Urgent Care.
So, bottom line – the entire system of emergency and urgent care personnel is a giant mess!
So, what is the answer?
No clue!
It is pretty sad to constantly hear people throw politics into everything. When everyone realizes the majority of politicians are corrupt, the government does not care about you and you’re doing exactly what they want. There is a hell of a lot more of us than them, imagine standing up for ourselves and demanding change. It’s the simplest answer that is never going to happen. I mean how many of you don’t even know your next door neighbor? What a world, it’s a great time to be alive!! Welcome to the system, we’re all divided and they conquer both sides.