I would happily go to Urgent Care for more things (and have gone enough times, used to basically be my PCP back in the day), but there are certain things that if I go there they just say "We don't have the ability to do these tests, go to ER".

So now I paid an extra $100-150 just to be told to go to ER anyway. I don't go to Urgent Care for those things anymore (heart attack scares that end up being heartburn with heart attack symptoms, for example).

There's also the issue that most Urgent Cares around here aren't 24/7, so if it happens late at night (like after 9pm), ER is all you got.

I agree, but the problem is the decision as to the level of care necessary is ultimately up to the person needing care. Normal people have no idea what their ailment is, much less what level of care they need.

I try to steer clear of the ER at all times. If I'm not functioning enough to be able to make that decision, it's probably time for the ER. Just a personal philosophy.

I had a girlfriend years ago who made me take her to the ER because her stomach really hurt. We waited for 8 hours and by the time she got seen, her stomach didn't hurt. I could have strangled her.

I'm just building CRUD software and I don't scoff at the kinda stuff people report as bugs, particularly non-technical users. But working in an ER and judging people for being unable to judge the severity of their ailments? That borders on sociopath lack of empathy.