Health Insurance Abroad

CASmom
Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:30:12 +0000

intparent: “And someone in the US with no one to advocate for them would likely have a terrible experience in our system as well! Potentially much worse that D would have in the country she is going to, since essentially that country is requiring everyone to have health insurance (either their national system or some external insurance). No one coming here has historically needed that, so you can really get in trouble here and have no care at all.”



You’re kidding, right?:

“The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)[1] is a U.S. Act of Congress passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare 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.
EMTALA applies to “participating hospitals”, i.e., those that accept payment from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the Medicare program. However, in practical terms, EMTALA applies to virtually all hospitals in the U.S., with the exception of the Shriners Hospitals for Children, Indian Health Service hospitals, and Veterans Affairs hospitals.”