In an email to members, the Texas Hospital Association said private health care providers may also be subject to Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order directing hospitals to collect information about undocumented immigrants.
Governor Abbott issued an executive order Thursday requiring Texas hospitals to track the number of undocumented patients they treat and report the costs of treating them to the state health department.
While the governor’s announcement specifically targets “people who use Texas public hospitals for inpatient or emergency care,” the order applies to all hospitals that participate in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. In an email to members, the Texas Hospital Association clarified that the order is not limited to public hospitals, according to a copy obtained Tuesday by El Paso Matters.
“THA recognizes there has been some confusion about which hospitals must comply, how data and immigration status will be requested and collected, and how this order aligns with privacy requirements and legal requirements for hospitals to test and stabilize someone,” the Friday, Aug. 9 email said.
The association’s members include the private campuses of Las Palmas del Sol Healthcare and Providence Hospital, which accept Medicaid insurance, as well as the public El Paso University Medical Center and its subsidiary, Children’s Hospital of El Paso.
Hospitals that don’t comply with the governor’s orders could be removed from the Medicaid and CHIP programs. The vast majority of Texas hospitals participate in Medicaid, said Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Hospital Association.
“We will review this order with our team to fully understand its implications and requirements,” UMC spokesman Ryan Mielke said last week.
In an emailed statement, Las Palmas del Sol Healthcare said that in accordance with emergency medical and labor laws, it must provide medical care to all patients who visit its facilities, regardless of their ability to pay.
“It is our responsibility to comply with applicable state and federal laws and regulations as the legal, legislative and regulatory landscape changes,” the statement read.
Providence Hospital did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Jennifer Ruffcorn, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, told El Paso Matters on Friday that the state plans to provide guidelines to hospitals in the coming weeks.
In addition to hospitals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, the executive order also applies to “additional providers identified by the Health and Human Services Commission.”
El Paso Matters asked the state government last week who these additional providers were. Ruffcorn directed the news organization to the governor’s office. Abbott’s spokesman, Eduardo Leal, did not answer the question and instead sent a link to an executive order.
El Paso Matters reported Thursday on concerns immigrant rights advocates have about the hospital order.
The Texas Hospital Association released a statement Thursday saying, “Currently, hospitals do not ask about a patient’s immigration status as a condition of treatment. Hospitals are required by law to provide life-saving treatment to anyone, regardless of ability to pay or status.”
Editor’s note: Aug. 14, 4:30 p.m.: This story has been updated with additional comment from the Texas Hospital Association and Las Palmas del Sol Healthcare.
