> The problem is that at 1am, with whatever horrible pain prompts you to drag yourself, or your child, to seek out medical care, your ONLY option is often an ER.

It's not your only option. Chances are, it's not even your best option.

Urgent care clinics are much more appropriate for the bulk of things people are discussing in this thread. Not only are they cheaper for the patient, but they'll get treated faster, and they'll receive better care, because most of these things aren't what emergency physicians are actually trained to deal with.