Up until 1986, hospitals could turn patients around at the door without providing an evaluation or treatment if the patient could not prove that they had insurance or could pay for services. It did not matter the state of the patient’s condition. Patients often suffered adverse health consequences, or even death, because of delayed care. Horror stories circulated throughout the nation. A story involving Eugene Barnes, a man who was stabbed in the head, was rushed to Brookside Hospital in San Pablo, California on January 28, 1985. A CT scan revealed that Mr. Barnes needed to undergo immediate surgery but was denied by two on-call neurosurgeons. Several attempts were made to transfer Mr. Barnes to two other hospitals but they refused to accept him. Finally, San Francisco General Hospital accepted Mr. Barnes, but he died three days later because of complications. Details surrounding his death attracted national media attention and public outrage, as other similar stories began to come to the forefront.…show more content… Mrs. Ford was a member of a Medicaid health maintenance organization (HMO). Because of this, she was transferred to Merit Hospital in Oakland, California (a hospital that accepts her insurance) where her HMO registration information could not be obtained. Later it was determined that the state of California did not update their records in a timely manner. Mrs. Ford was ultimately transferred to Highland General Hospital, despite being in active labor the entire time, where she later delivered a stillborn baby. Increasing reports, such as these, caught the attention of Congress, which ultimately led to them passing the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor
