In Mortal Danger, by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R, CO): on Health Care

Healthcare costs skyrocket by free treatment of aliens

One reason Americans pay so much to care for illegal aliens is a federal law that prohibits hospitals from turning away any patients--whether legal citizens or not--due to their inability to pay. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) declares that every emergency room must treat all patients who arrive with an “emergency.” An emergency can consist of a cough, headache, hangnail, cardiac arrest, herniated lumbar disc, drug addition, alcohol overdose, gunshot wound, HIV-positive infection, or mental disorders. That means anyone who comes to an emergency room must be treated to the best of that hospital’s ability, or transferred, even if the patient doesn’t have a thin dime. Not that that isn’t a compassionate policy for Americans, mind you. The problem is the law is abused by illegal aliens who come to the US to obtain health care.