The Nation : Fines Proposed if Hospitals Refuse Care

Federal health officials are proposing new regulations that would impose fines and other penalties on hospitals that turn away emergency room patients for fear they cannot pay. In a letter to hospital administrators, officials said that refusing to accept emergency room patients could result in penalties of up to $50,000, civil lawsuits under state laws and suspension or exclusion from the Medicare program. Administrators were warned that when a patient comes to an emergency room, the hospital must offer “appropriate medical screening examinations to all individuals with emergency medical conditions and all women in active labor.” The letter also said that hospitals “may either stabilize the condition or provide a medically appropriate transfer to another facility . . . unless the patient or (a) legal representative refuses treatment or transfer.” The rules were published in the Federal Register.