Emergency Physicians Object to Roll Back of Protections against Health Care Discrimination

In response to the Trump administration’s announcement that it would rescind regulations that prohibit health care discrimination against patients based on gender identity, William Jaquis, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) released the following statement:

“Any form of discrimination in health care should be prohibited. Emergency physicians object to this final rule and believe it violates the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires clinicians treat every patient who comes to the emergency department. Every patient—regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic background, social status, type of illness, or ability to pay—has the right to expect the best possible care and to receive the most appropriate treatment and information about their condition. By not addressing the rights and needs of all patients undergoing an emergency and the legal obligations of emergency physicians, this rule will undermine the critical role that emergency departments play in our communities.”

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the national medical society representing emergency medicine. Through continuing education, research, public education and advocacy, ACEP advances emergency care on behalf of its 39,000 emergency physician members, and the more than 150 million Americans they treat on an annual basis. For more information, visit www.acep.org and www.emergencyphysicians.org.