no medical ins?

Question

does the er at hospitals have to give treatment even if you have no medical ins? or can they refuse, if they do have to treat you i guess you get stuck with a large bill you can never pay or do they refer you to some type of state help or whatever it is called-thanks oh i am talking of a private hospital so can they refuse to treat and send you to a state hosp. even if it is far away

czechmat,
gee thanks, i hope you never find yourself or a loved one for that matter not having med ins. and needing to see a dr, if you are in the military then good and you wont have to worry cuz you will always be able to go to a veterans hosp- however you should be smart enough to realize some people are too old too join the military-really!

Answer 1

It is a federal law so it is the same in all states, called EMTALA, not sure what it stands for. I work in an ER and we (medical personnel) are careful to not ask anything about insurance or discuss financial info with the patient. It does not have to be an emergency. If someone wants to see a doctor for any reason, they will absolutely see one. Our registration people deal with the financial/insurance stuff after the patient is assessed.

Answer 2

No patient can be refused emergency treatment if it is truly an emergency, regardless of the ability to pay. You will be responsible for the bill and most hospitals will work with you and sometimes even on a sliding scale depending on how much money you make. If you have some type of catastrophic illness or an accident sometimes you can be emergency aide, such as Medicaid, but don't assume this will always happen. Now, any hospital can stablize you and then refer you to a state facility which is not refusing to care for you, they are just not making it convenient. You can contact social services within your city and you might be surprised at the assistance that is available. I do wish you the best of luck and if I can help again please feel free to email me. God Bless!!!

Answer 3

depending upon where you are living. You can go to an urgent care center and set up payments for seeing a doctor. They might require some money up front but, it is better than nothing.

Hospitals should have some sort of financing they do. Even if they are private. You can call them first before going. But if it is an emergency they should not send anyone away.

Answer 4

In California, hospitals must provide emergency care regardless of the ability to pay. That should be true in other states. The financial issues are worked based on the individual's financial status.

Answer 5

Any publicly funded hospital is obligated to treat you, IF you have an actual emergency. Once you are stabilized, they can stop treating you.

You still get a bill, and you still have to pay it. It will be turned over to collections if you don't. But you don't have to prove before hand that you will be able to pay the bill, and you certainly don't have to pay in advance.

Answer 6

Hospitals cannot refuse medical care to anyone...they can help you get financial assistance with the bill if you just ask for it

Answer 7

it depends on the situation some private hospitals will refuse
if your are unstable they are required to treat you
say you break your arm they will not fix it they will give you a temp repair like a cast and refer you to another md or the county hospital

Answer 8

If you do get treated, I hope you pay. I am tired of paying higher insurance bills due to hospital charges increases because of people not paying. Maybe you should get insurance. If you cant afford it, I know where you can get free medical insurance.....join the military.