LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-46, which requires hospitals to collect and report data on patients’ citizenship and immigration status, goes into effect on Friday, November 1, but Lubbock hospitals states that this will not be enforced. impact on patient care” or “ability to apply for financial assistance.”
The order requires hospitals to inquire about patients’ citizenship or immigration status and report the cost of treating those patients to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Covenant Health released the following statement Thursday afternoon:
Covenant Health remains committed to our mission to express God’s healing love by serving all people, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Although we are following Governor Abbott’s executive order, it does not change Covenant Health’s unwavering commitment to the health and safety of all patients. Federal law requires that any answers to questions about citizenship status do not affect a patient’s care or ability to apply for financial assistance. We always serve everyone and believe that every relationship is a sacred encounter. As we have for more than 100 years, we remain committed to meeting the health needs of the communities we serve.
UMC released the following statement on Friday:
As part of our compliance with state regulations, we have incorporated citizenship status questions into our patient registration process.
We understand that this topic can be a sensitive one and would like to assure our patients that disclosing their citizenship status is completely voluntary. Our commitment is to provide excellent care to all patients, regardless of citizenship status.
And here is the text of the executive order from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission:
Pursuant to Executive Order No. GA-46 issued by Governor Greg Abbott on August 8, 2024, hospital providers must notify each patient during the admission process that the patient is (1) a citizen lawfully present in the United States; or a foreigner. state, or (2) an alien not lawfully present in the United States. Hospital providers must provide inpatient discharges and emergency visits for all patients and patients who are (1) nationals or aliens lawfully present in the United States, and (2) aliens not lawfully present in the United States. must be reported to HHSC on a quarterly basis. state. Hospital providers are also required to quarterly report to HHSC the costs of treating patients who are not legally present in the United States. Hospitals plan to begin collecting information by November 1, 2024 and begin reporting to HHSC on March 1, 2025.
When collecting information about a patient’s immigration status, hospital providers must notify the patient that their response will not affect their care, as required by federal law.
This spreadsheet provides guidance on what information acute care hospitals should be able to track, collect, and report so they can begin making necessary system adjustments before November 1, 2024. It is designed to. Depending on the order, reporting is done monthly or quarterly. The bulleted list below provides an overview of how to run the report.
March 1, 2025 – September, October, and November information to be submitted (there will be no September or October reports for the first year).
June 1, 2025 – Scheduled submission of information from September to February.
September 1, 2025 – Scheduled submission of information from September to May.
December 1, 2025 – Information from September to August will be published.
January 1, 2026 – HHSC will submit a report to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House on costs for the next several years.
You must provide information for all applicable months each time you submit data. This means that data for previously reported months will need to be updated and/or provided again if necessary. We will provide further guidance in the coming weeks specifying how this information will be reported to HHSC.
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