Local hospitals bracing for patients

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) - Seton Medical Center Hays has already met its budgeted capacity for the month of October before it's even halfway through the month.

Seeing triple the amounts of patients than originally expected, the hospital is now bracing for an onslaught of new patients as the health care reform bill moves through Congress.

With support from a lone Republican, a key Senate committee Tuesday approved a middle-of-the-road health care plan that moves President Barack Obama's goal of wider and affordable coverage a giant step closer to becoming law.

Meanwhile, area hospitals are already experiencing long wait times with the current number of patients needing care.

"If you have a real medical emergency, the wait time is just phenomonal," said Alex Silvas, who waited for several hours in the emergency room at a South Austin hospital before driving to the new Seton hospital in Kyle. "If the wait time right now can vary from an hour to six or seven hours, then I can only imagine how much more wait time you're going to have."

The bill passed through the Senate Finance Committee would require most Americans to have health insurance, which in turn could lead to many more patients making regular hospital visits. Even though Seton Medical Center Hays is coping with three times the demand than originally anticipated, recruiting more physicians has become a top priority for all area hospitals.

"We're coming up with a long term plan," said Julie Johnson, Seton Medical Center Hays Clinical Manager. "And, that's where we have to recruit. It takes a little bit longer but in the short term we're using the resources that we have."