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Your Right to Emergency Medical Care

In light of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, it's more important than ever that you know your rights on receiving emergency medical care.

  • Federal law requires Medicare-participating hospital emergency departments to provide you an appropriate medical screening examination.

  • If the physician or provider determines that you have an emergency medical condition, federal law requires the hospital to offer you necessary stabilizing treatment, and transfer, if necessary, in order to receive necessary stabilizing care not available at the presenting hospital.

  • These federal rights take precedence over state laws or mandates that apply to specific procedures.1

1 Please note: pursuant to the preliminary injunction in Texas v. Becerra, No. 5:22-CV-185-H (N.D. Tex.), HHS may not enforce the following interpretations contained in the July 11, 2022, CMS guidance (and the corresponding letter sent the same day by HHS Secretary Becerra): (1) the Guidance and Letter’s interpretation that Texas abortion laws are preempted by EMTALA; and (2) the Guidance and Letter’s interpretation of EMTALA — both as to when an abortion is required and EMTALA’s effect on state laws governing abortion — within the State of Texas or against the members of the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) and the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA).

If you are a health care provider:

  • For frontline health care providers, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) statute gives precedence to your clinical judgment and the actions that you take to provide stabilizing medical treatment to any pregnant patients presenting to the hospital with an emergency medical condition, regardless of any restrictions in the state where you practice.

  • This means that physicians and other qualified medical personnel are required by federal law to offer stabilizing medical treatment to a patient who presents to the emergency department and is found to have an emergency medical condition. This requirement preempts any directly conflicting state law or mandate that might otherwise prohibit such treatment, such as state prohibitions or restrictions on abortions.

  • Stabilizing treatment could include medical and/or surgical interventions (such as abortion, removal of one or both fallopian tubes, anti-hypertensive therapy, or methotrexate therapy), irrespective of any state laws or mandates that apply to specific procedures.

If you are a patient:

  • Your provider is required to offer this stabilizing treatment at the time that you present to the emergency department and after you recieve an appropriate medical screening examination and an emergency medical condition is discovered. They are not permitted to wait until your emergency medical condition declines to provide this care.

  • The enforcement of EMTALA is a complaint driven process. If you or someone you know did not receive the emergency medical care to which they were entitled, you can file an EMTALA complaint by contacting the state's survey agency

    • To contact your state's survey agency, click here or use the tool below.

Contact Information for Filing a Complaint with the State Survey Agency

Select your state or area to view contact information for filing a complaint

State Survey Agency: Alabama
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/providerstandards/complaints.html
Phone Number:
800-356-9596
State Survey Agency: Alaska
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dhss.alaska.gov/dhcs/Pages/hflc/Complaint-form.aspx
Phone Number:
888-387-9387
State Survey Agency: Arizona
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dia.iowa.gov/
Phone Number:
1-800-221-9968
State Survey Agency: Arkansas
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/health-facility-services-complaints
Phone Number:
800-233-0340
State Survey Agency: California
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/chcq/lcp/calhealthfind/Pages/Home.aspx
Phone Number:
Toll free number listed on website by district: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/Pages/DistrictOffices.aspx
State Survey Agency: Colorado
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://cdphe.colorado.gov/file-a-complaint/health-facilities-complaint-and-occurrence-contacts
Phone Number:
303-692-2910
1-800-842-8826
State Survey Agency: Connecticut
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dphflisevents.ct.gov/Complaints
Phone Number:
860-509-7400
1-800-828-9769
State Survey Agency: Delaware
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dhcq/ohflcmain.html
Phone Number:
800-942-7373
State Survey Agency: District of Columbia
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dchealth.dc.gov/node/145702
Phone Number:
202-442-5833
State Survey Agency: Florida
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://apps.ahca.myflorida.com/hcfc/
Phone Number:
888-419-3456
State Survey Agency: Georgia
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dch.georgia.gov/divisionsoffices/healthcare-facility-regulation/facility-licensure/hfr-filecomplaint
Phone Number:
800-878-6442
Fax: 404-657-8935
State Survey Agency: Hawaii
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://health.hawaii.gov/
Phone Number:
808-692-7420
State Survey Agency: Idaho
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/providers/acute-and-continuing-care/home-health-agencies
Phone Number:
800-345-1453
Fax: 208-364-1888
State Survey Agency: Illinois
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dph.illinois.gov/
Phone Number:
1-800-252-4343
State Survey Agency: Indiana
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.in.gov/health/cshcr/acute-and-continuing-care/
Phone Number:
800-246-8909
State Survey Agency: Iowa
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dia.iowa.gov/
Phone Number:
1-877-686-0027
State Survey Agency: Kansas
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.kdads.ks.gov/commissions/survey-certification-and-credentialingcommission/abuse-neglect-or-exploitation
Phone Number:
800-842-0078
State Survey Agency: Kentucky
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://chfs.ky.gov/Pages/contact.aspx
Phone Number:
1-877-597-2331
State Survey Agency: Louisiana
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://ldh.la.gov/page/3768
Phone Number:
800-327-3419
State Survey Agency: Maine
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/dlc/safety-reporting/file-a-complaint
Phone Number:
1-800-621-8222
State Survey Agency: Maryland
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://health.maryland.gov/bonha/Pages/complaint.aspx
Phone Number:
1-800-492-6005
State Survey Agency: Massachusetts
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.mass.gov/reporting-elder-abuse-neglect
Phone Number:
800-462-5540
State Survey Agency: Michigan
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-89334_63294_72973---,00.html
Phone Number:
1-800-882-6006
State Survey Agency: Minnesota
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.health.state.mn.us/facilities/regulation/filecomplaint.html
Phone Number:
651-201-4201
1-800-369-7994
State Survey Agency: Mississippi
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.msdh.ms.gov
Phone Number:
800-227-7308
State Survey Agency: Missouri
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://health.mo.gov/safety/abuse/
Phone Number:
800-392-0210
State Survey Agency: Montana
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dphhs.mt.gov/qad/certificationcomplaintform
Phone Number:
1-800-762-4618
State Survey Agency: Nevada
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://dpbh.nv.gov/Reg/HealthFacilities/dta/Complaints/HCQC-Complaint-Form/
Phone Number:
1-800-225-3414
State Survey Agency: Nebraska
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
http://dhhs.ne.gov
Phone Number:
402-471-0316
Fax: 402-742-2389
State Survey Agency: New Hampshire
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/oos/bhfa/contact.htm
Phone Number:
800-621-6232
State Survey Agency: New Jersey
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.state.nj.us/health/healthfacilities/file_complaint.shtml
Phone Number:
800-792-9770
State Survey Agency: New Mexico
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.nmhealth.org/
Phone Number:
800-752-8649
State Survey Agency: New York
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://profiles.health.ny.gov/home_care/pages/complaints
Phone Number:
1-800-628-5972
State Survey Agency: North Carolina
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/ciu/filecomplaint.html
Phone Number:
1-800-624-3004 (within NC)
919-855-4500 (outside NC)
State Survey Agency: North Dakota
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.health.nd.gov/regulation-licensure/health-facilities/how-report-concern
Phone Number:
1-800-545-8256
State Survey Agency: Ohio
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/complaints-nursing-home-andhealthcare-facilities/complaints-hcf-nh
Phone Number:
1-800-342-0553
1-800-669-3534
State Survey Agency: Oklahoma
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://oklahoma.gov/health/protective-health/medical-facilities-service/complaints-andenforcement-division.html
Phone Number:
405-426-8470
800-234-7258
State Survey Agency: Oregon
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
http://www.healthoregon.org/hflc
Phone Number:
971-673-0540
State Survey Agency: Pennsylvania
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
http://apps.health.pa.gov/dohforms/FacilityComplaint.aspx
Phone Number:
1-800-254-5164
State Survey Agency: Puerto Rico
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.salud.gov.pr/CMS/187
Phone Number:
787-782-0120
State Survey Agency: Rhode Island
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://health.ri.gov/complaints/
Phone Number:
401-222-5200
State Survey Agency: South Carolina
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://scdhec.gov/health-regulation/healthcare-facility-licensing/facility-specific-info/nursinghome-information-1
Phone Number:
803-545-4370
State Survey Agency: South Dakota
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://doh.sd.gov/providers/licensure/complaints.aspx
Phone Number:
1-800-738-2301
State Survey Agency: Tennessee
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.tn.gov/health/health-professionals/hcf-main/filing-a-complaint.html
Phone Number:
1-800-541-7367
State Survey Agency: Texas
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.hhs.texas.gov/about/your-rights/complaint-incident-intake
Phone Number:
800-458-9858
State Survey Agency: Utah
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://health.utah.gov/hflcra/forms.php
Phone Number:
800-999-7339
State Survey Agency: Vermont
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.healthvermont.gov/health-professionals-systems/board-medical-practice/filecomplaint
Phone Number:
802-241-0482
888-700-5330
State Survey Agency: Virginia
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/licensure-and-certification/complaint-unit/
Phone Number:
1-800-955-1819
State Survey Agency: Washington
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/FileComplaintAboutProviderorFacility/FacilityComplaintProcess#heading25859
Phone Number:
Toll Free: 1-800-633-6828
Fax: 360-236-2626
State Survey Agency: West Virginia
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://ohflac.wvdhhr.org
Phone Number:
304-558-0050
State Survey Agency: Wisconsin
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://phaboard.org/complaints/
Phone Number:
800-642-6552
State Survey Agency: Wyoming
State Health Department's Web Site Address:
https://health.utah.gov/hflcra/forms.php/health.wyo.gov/aging/hls/complaints-againsthealthcare-facilities/
Phone Number:
1-800-548-1367