Patient Dumping and Obamacare

Michelle Malkin has a column up about patient dumping and Obamacare, including the story of Dontae Adams, who sought emergency treatment after a pitbull nearly tore off his lip. The University of Chicago Medical Center--the same place Michelle Obama worked--gave him the slam, bam, thank you ma'am treatment (Tylenol, tetanus shot, antibiotics) and told him to get lost.

I hear frequently that a government healthcare option would create "competition" and lower costs, but when a non-profit hospital like UCMC treats the indigent (which they are required to do, btw) like yesterday's garbage, you have to wonder how seriously to take those arguments.

We've all heard similar horror stories; community hospitals, which are required to do a certain amount of charity work, cherry-picking the cases to treat. So, a millionaire gets his double bypass for free while 100 indigents in the E.R. get shuffled out the back door, left to find a CareNow or something to treat their raging infections, broken bones and emergency surgeries.

Michelle Obama thought patient dumping was acceptable at UCMC. Why should the rest of the country be treated any differently?