Final answer:
The increasing number of ER visits for health care services reflects the social problem of poverty, which influences access to medical facilities and insurance coverage. Uninsured individuals often rely on emergency room care due to limited means to obtain primary care. This places a burden on hospitals and results in higher costs for those with insurance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse identified an increasing number of patients using health care services through visits to the ER instead of a primary provider. This trend reflects a social problem that influences health care delivery, particularly access to medical facilities and insurance coverage. The primary social problem that influences health care delivery in this scenario is poverty.
Poor people, especially those without health insurance, often have limited means to obtain primary care outside of the government-run Medicaid program. Due to the high costs associated with health care, uninsured individuals tend to wait until they are very ill to seek care, often relying on emergency room visits. This places a burden on hospitals, which are required to provide medical care regardless of a patient's ability to pay.
The government partially reimburses hospitals for the costs of emergency room care, but the expenses are often passed on to those with insurance or funded by charities. Therefore, poverty plays a significant role in the increasing number of ER visits for health care services.