Final answer:
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) requires hospitals to provide emergency care regardless of a patient's ability to pay, and stands apart from the ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Step-by-step explanation:
The act adopted to ensure that proper assessments and screening are conducted when a patient arrives for emergency medical care, regardless of the ability to pay, is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). Passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), EMTALA requires hospitals to provide care to anyone needing emergency treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status, or ability to pay. There are no reimbursement provisions for hospitals providing care under EMTALA, making it different from the programs created under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare, and Medicaid.