Quote:
Originally Posted by spence
Blame Reagan. He signed the bill into law that requires hospitals to provide service.
-spence
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The
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395dd, EMTALA) is a United States Act of Congress passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing
emergency treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay. There are no reimbursement provisions. As a result of the act,
patients needing emergency treatment can be discharged only under their own informed consent or when their condition requires transfer to a hospital better equipped to administer the treatment