When was the last time you went to an emergency room? Odds are, it was when you felt as if you were suffering from an actual medical emergency. Unfortunately, not everyone treats an emergency room in such a meaningful way. Statistics show that a majority of those who visit an emergency room, do so for things that aren’t a true emergency. ER nurses and doctors cite that many people will come in to get medication refills or for a simple cold. Many will even come in for back pain or tooth pain.

Why do people use the emergency room for things that aren’t urgent? Well, emergency rooms don’t require you to pay up-front, meaning you’ll be sent a bill later on. For patients without insurance or those who simply don’t have the funds to handle a co-pay, an emergency room seems like a pretty convenient option. Unfortunately, since most ERs go by a system that determines who is seen first, people with vague or no symptoms can hold up the process for those who are suffering from an emergency situation.

The moral of the story? Way too many people treat the emergency room with carelessness, rather than using it for true emergencies.