There is some concern that legislative acts like EMTALA, in ensuring emergency medical care to all, lack clarity in defining what constitutes an "emergency". As such, minor health issues such as migraines—as opposed to emergencies like gunshot wounds and cardiac arrest—are included and hurt hospitals due to the lack of additional government compensation.
There are concerns about the definition of "emergency" under EMTALA, which mandates that all individuals receive emergency medical care. The ambiguity surrounding this definition leads to the inclusion of minor health issues like migraines in the category of emergencies, resulting in hospitals facing financial challenges due to a lack of additional government compensation for treating these cases.