Reply #2: The articles full argument is-

[ZombieHorde]

The second myth behind federal mandate proposals is this: Lack of insurance forces people into the emergency room for routine health care. "It's a hidden tax, the high cost of emergency room visits that could have been prevented by a much less expensive doctor's appointment," Mrs. Clinton said recently. The truth is that the uninsured do not use emergency rooms more than other people.

Federal data (the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) show that the elderly are most inclined to go to the emergency room, though they are universally covered by Medicare.

Other repeat users, according to an Institute of Medicine study, are the "frequent flyers" who are in the ER repeatedly because of mental illness or substance abuse. Enacting a mandate isn't going to eradicate the behavioral problems that land them in the ER.