Legislation introduced in the Senate on February 13, 2003, by Senators from Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Texas would amend the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 to extend reimbursement to hospitals in border states for emergency medical care provided to illegal aliens. A study completed by the U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition determined that the four border states spent over $200 million in emergency care for illegal immigrants in one year. EMTALA, the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, prohibits hospital emergency rooms from denying medical treatment to any patient requiring emergency care. As proposed, S. 412, the Local Emergency Health Services Reimbursement Act of 2003, would provide those states with $1.45 billion per year for four years, allocated to the states proportionately.
This material is not intended to create, and does not create, an attorney-client relationship between you and Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., and you should not act or rely on any of this information. As legal advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case, nothing provided herein should be used as a substitute for advice of competent counsel. These materials do not constitute legal advice, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. or any of its attorneys or clients, and are not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up-to-date.
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. This publication is provided "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. Unless otherwise indicated, V&E attorneys listed are: not Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. None of the attorneys listed on this website is certified as an "expert" or "specialist" pursuant to any authority governing the practice of law in New York. Vinson & Elkins is a registered limited liability partnership. Principal office-Houston.