Emergency Rooms are for Emergencies. Full Stop.

Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent claim that ER crowding and funding fights stem from treating undocumented immigrants is wrong—and dangerous. It distorts why our emergency departments are overwhelmed and undermines the people who keep them running.

Here are the facts:

• Federal law (EMTALA, 1986) requires hospitals to screen and stabilize anyone in an emergency—no matter their insurance, citizenship, or ability to pay. That’s not a loophole; it’s a lifesaving baseline.

• Undocumented immigrants are largely excluded from federal health coverage. Limited “emergency Medicaid” pays hospitals only for true emergencies and accounts for a sliver of Medicaid spending. Cutting it wouldn’t stop emergencies—it would just leave hospitals and states footing the bill.

• Independent experts have debunked the claim that immigrant patients drive ER waits or budget crises.

Emergency departments are not arenas for immigration politics. They are where heart attacks are treated, babies are delivered, and accident victims are saved—because law, ethics, and basic humanity require it.

The Levitt Center stands with emergency clinicians and every patient who walks through the door. Real relief for crowded ERs comes from universal coverage, strong primary and behavioral-health systems, and safe staffing—not scapegoating those seeking care in crisis.

— Levitt Center

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