Obstetric-Related Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act Violations and No Health Exception Bans.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) guarantees access to emergency care, including for pregnancy-related conditions. Many states have enacted abortion bans that may conflict with the federal mandate under EMTALA to screen and stabilize patients in obstetric emergencies.

Objective

To evaluate changes in obstetric-related EMTALA violations following state and federal restrictions on abortion.

Design and settings

This study used a staggered difference-in-differences design and Callaway-Sant'Anna estimator, leveraging a 100% sample of EMTALA filings from 2018 through quarter 1 of 2023 that was obtained via the Freedom of Information Act from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Filings were classified by clinical context and assoc

SUBMITTER: Woskie LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12681040 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature