who is covered under emtala
EMTALA's provisions apply to all patients, not just to Medicare patients. The cost of emergency care required by EMTALA is not directly covered by the federal government. Because of this, the law has been criticized by some as an unfunded mandate. Uncompensated care represents 6% of total hospital costs. significant portion of emergency room visits are considered not to be EMCs as defined by EMTALA. The medical profession refers to these cases as non-emergent. Regardless, this impressive term is not recognized by the law as a condition defined by the EMTALA statute.