EMTALA [0] requires the hospital to stabilize the patient, ie, make it so that it is no longer an emergency (the "E" in "ER"). If you "really can't pay" and it's not an emergency, you likely will find yourself in collections from the hospital.
I think it really depends on the hospital. Some hospitals that are in major urban centers and provide services for a large indigent population often waive all expenses.
If you go into one of these hospitals looking like you have no money, you'll likely not be asked to pay anything.
So if you go and say you are seizing, they will just stabilize you till you are done seizing then kick you out? Or at that point they will attempt to collect for the emergency care and prohibit further care until you can prove you can pay for it?
Generally yes. This comes up occasionally with cancer patients; if they have an acute issue the hospital must stabilize them, but the hospital doesn't have to actually treat their cancer.
If they are very poor, they should in theory be covered by Medicaid, which will then pay for treatment. But this requires them to actually be in a condition (mentally/physically/education-wise) to figure out how to sign up and be approved for it, since coverage isn't automatic. Afaik, even if the hospital is able to determine the person should be eligible, they can't just treat the person and then sign them up on their behalf; the person has to do it themselves, and be approved before seeking treatment.
This is one area that I think the U.S. lags behind many other developed countries in: assigning a social worker to help people in bad situations navigate the system. I've noticed that with an uncle of mine who has MS, is on SSI disability, and can't really take care of himself. If he didn't have a family member who was willing to accept power of attorney and file all sorts of paperwork and make phone calls on his behalf, he would have huge problems, because he isn't able to do that himself, and the state has not assigned a social worker to help him out.
>But this requires them to actually be in a condition (mentally/physically/education-wise) to figure out how to sign up and be approved for it, since coverage isn't automatic.
This is a tough one. I have a disabled family member who would have never been able to do this themselves.
People often claim that, but it's not a particularly credible argument. Emergency room visits account for less than 2% of total healthcare spending in the US.
Moreover -- ER visits with fake names. I have no moral issues, completely nothing, 0, lying and stealing from the bastards that sell $300 for a bag of saline or $40 for a pill of aspirin. I don't care that nobody pays it, I don't care what complicated laws or accounting tricks are, if that is put on a bill and sent to a person who was just sick or injured, that is wrong. It is criminal. So if you are conscious and can get way with it (don't need prescription written out just want to get "stabilized"), give them a fake SSN, name, address and fuck them.
Um this is the reason for Obamacare.
People sticking other people with the bill.
People will gladly pay $500+ for an iphone but will not spend money on their own health. Yet they expect the hospital to be forced to take them even if the they can pay.
Are some hospital charges a ripoff. Oh yes. But they are also open 24 hours a day with highly trained staff ready to try and save your life even if you were doing something dumb. They are on stand by even though you pay them nothing to be waiting.
Seriously. An ER is required by law to treat anyone who comes in. If you really can't pay, go to the ER.
Some argue this is why healthcare costs so much because ERs have to be paid for.