My 15-month-old daughter suffered head/neck trauma after a fall. I got a busy tone when I repeatedly dialed 911, so I transported her to the nearest ER, which had a line out the door. I took her to a second ER, where we were ignored for more than an hour as we watched the triage nurse handle the colds and backaches of the working poor and uninsured who had no alternative for care. A woman who was begging to "jump the line" and get care for her critically ill brother was turned over to security and the police. When we asked for a referral to a less busy ER, the front desk attendant wordlessly handed us a phone book.