in Australia it would be free.
2007-05-07 13:58:00 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Other - Health
Because of a law called EMTALA (I think thats how its spelled), the hospital must stablize you in the ER regardless if you have insurance or not. After that, they can transfer you if you don't have insurance or they can try to bill you...
2007-05-07 14:11:45 · answer #1 · answered by Melissa 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not true. If you are having a medical emergency, the hospital is required to treat you, regardless of insurance coverage.
If you don't have medical coverage, you will owe a bill afterward. There are assistance programs available to help pay for these bills, but not many people are aware of them.
It's not the best system ever, and we could probably do better, but it's not killing people the way your question implies.
2007-05-07 14:05:03 · answer #2 · answered by Emmy 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In Australia it would be paid for by the taxpayers. In the US, emergency departments are not allowed to turn away emergencies, but can refuse to treat minor, non-urgent problems, after an appropriate screening exam. Afterwards, they will expect some attempt on your part at payment, though every hospital eats the cost of tons of uncompensated care on a routine basis. Hospitals, of course, would like to be paid for everything they do, but some programs, such as the government-run Medicaid program, do not reimburse at a level that covers costs, so they're not in a rush to expand that sort of program, though it beats no reimbursement at all.
2007-05-07 14:15:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, no. The EMTALA regulations do not allow the hospitals to refuse care of a patient in emergency circumstances. This my friend would be an emergency. They would be required to take care of you regardless or ability to pay. At the most, they could transfer you to a public hospital.
2007-05-07 14:36:49 · answer #4 · answered by AMANDA d 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are private hospitals that don't except patients because they don't have insurance, etc. But, there are so many hospitals that do not turn patience, they are there to treat the injured or medical emergency. I do not think it matters where someone lives.
2007-05-07 18:45:26 · answer #5 · answered by christy s 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it is not true. You can not be turned away in an emergency. This is why our emergency rooms are full of people who really are not having an emergency. We don't want our government running our healthcare. Anything ran by them is complicated, top-heavy, expensive and impractical
2007-05-07 14:34:27 · answer #6 · answered by TAT 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
IT IS ACCORDING TO WHICH HOSPITAL YOU go to . I was with someone who had a busted appendics and this one hospital would not take him in, but other one did
2007-05-07 14:12:03 · answer #7 · answered by angelgirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋