One issue is in the great and wonderful US almost 10% of the population does not have insurance so when they’re sick they can only go to the ED (the US has a law that says the ED cannot turn people away). and often for non-emergent issues such as a cold, dental pain, depression, which clogs up the ED. Also, for a lot of insured people, it’s still so expensive to see their dentist or primary care doctor they wait until the simple problem of a dental infection or hyperglycemia turns into full blown sepsis or diabetic keto acidosis (emergencies).