Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA, 1986)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (42 U.S.C. § 1395dd)

2) Why It Was Done
EMTALA was enacted to prevent “patient dumping,” where hospitals refused to treat or transferred patients unable to pay. It requires hospitals to provide emergency medical screening and stabilization regardless of insurance or ability to pay.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Before EMTALA, hospitals often turned away indigent or uninsured patients. While some state laws existed, no comprehensive federal law guaranteed emergency care.