Chapter 7 › XIII.N Emergency Medical Care

Will FEMA pay for emergency medical care when local systems are overwhelmed?

FEMA term

Emergency medical care

Short answer

When the local emergency medical system is destroyed, compromised or overwhelmed, FEMA funds extraordinary costs of operating emergency rooms and temporary medical facilities for survivors, for up to 30 days from the declaration unless FEMA approves more time.

What FEMA requires

Eligible care includes triage, tests and diagnosis, treatment and stabilization, first aid, a one-time 30-day prescription supply, vaccinations to prevent outbreaks, durable medical equipment, consumable medical supplies, temporary facilities and their equipment and security, and ambulances for immunizations and mobile units.
FEMA judges reasonableness using Medicare’s cost-to-charge ratio.
Not eligible: inpatient care after admission, follow-up or long-term treatment, and administrative costs.
Costs covered by private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or another source are excluded; you must document that coverage was pursued, patient by patient.

Documentation

Patient-by-patient records showing insurance and other coverage was checked, plus facility, staffing and supply costs. Extensions need a justification and an analysis of options with costs.

Watch out · Govstar practitioner advice

Build insurance screening into intake from the first patient. Reconstructing coverage checks later is nearly impossible.

Govstar summarizes FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide in plain language and links to the official text. Govstar is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. This is general guidance, not legal advice.