Bill > HB372

This bill requires hospitals with emergency departments to screen patients for an "emergency pregnancy-related medical condition," which is defined as a serious medical condition that could put a pregnant patient's health in serious jeopardy, cause serious impairment to bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any organ or body part if immediate medical attention is not provided. If such a condition is identified, the hospital must provide necessary treatment to "stabilize" the patient, meaning to alleviate the condition or ensure it won't worsen during transfer, which can include terminating the pregnancy if medically necessary to stabilize the patient. Hospitals must allow pregnancy termination if a healthcare provider determines it's medically necessary for stabilization and cannot transfer a patient with an unstabilized emergency pregnancy-related medical condition unless it complies with federal law (42 U.S.C. § 1395dd, which pertains to emergency medical treatment and labor). The bill also prohibits adverse actions against healthcare providers who refuse to authorize transfers of unstabilized patients or whose treatment aligns with their clinical judgment to stabilize a patient, and against employees who report violations. Hospitals that negligently violate these provisions face civil penalties, with amounts varying based on hospital bed count, and provisions are included to coordinate with federal investigations and potential fines. Importantly, this bill amends existing law to ensure that hospitals must allow pregnancy termination when medically necessary to stabilize a patient, overriding previous provisions that allowed hospitals to refuse to permit or refer for such procedures.