Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order in August requiring Texas hospitals to begin collecting data starting Nov. 1.
TEXAS, USA — Texas hospitals will have to ask patients about their immigration status starting next week.
In August, Gov. Greg Abbott will direct Texas hospitals to collect data on costs associated with inpatient discharges and emergency visits by immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization and providing health care services to that population. signed an executive order.
This executive order applies to hospitals enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program and other health care providers designated by the Board of Health and Human Services.
The order also requires hospitals to tell patients that the information “will not affect their treatment.”
President Abbott’s executive order directs hospitals to begin collecting data on November 1st. The executive order directs data to be reported to the Health and Human Services Committee on a quarterly basis, with the first submission expected in March 2025.
Shortly after Abbott signed the executive order, the Texas Hospital Association signed an executive order saying, “Hospitals are required by law to provide life-saving care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay or status.” .
“This is a new requirement and we are considering it as soon as possible,” the hospital association said in a statement. “Currently, hospitals do not ask patients’ immigration status as a condition of treatment. Hospitals are required by law to provide life-saving treatment to everyone, regardless of ability to pay or status.”
Mr. Abbott cited the “surge in the number of individuals illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border” as justification for the executive order. Florida has a similar law.
“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ open borders policy means that Texas will have to pay for the medical costs of undocumented immigrants,” Abbott previously said in a statement.
But the ACLU of Texas warned that the executive order could lead to harm and worsening health conditions.
“By recruiting health care workers to serve as shadow immigration agents, the governor is once again playing politics with people’s lives,” the ACLU of Texas said in a post on X after the order was issued. . “Federal guidance is clear that anyone, regardless of immigration status, has access to health care. Texas has some of the worst health care outcomes in the nation, and this abuse of emergency powers makes matters worse.” There is a possibility that
State Rep. Chris Turner (D-Arlington) framed the action as purely political, referring to “internal Texas politics.”
“He framed this as a health care cost. The way to lower health care costs in Texas is to reduce the number of uninsured people,” Turner said. “He has the power to do it. He’s had the power to do it for 10 years. But he has the power to do it. , has consistently blocked Democratic efforts.”
Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured residents.
