Immigration Information from Patients Now Required by Texas Governor's Order to Hospitals

Aug 12 :
According to an executive order from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, all Texas hospitals are required to check patients' immigration status. Finding out how much it will cost to treat those who are illegally in the United States is the goal of the mandate. This most recent move by Texas is indicative of a larger pattern among states controlled by Republicans, who have been passing stricter immigration regulations and policies. Hospitals in Florida are now required by law to inquire about patients' immigration status, a measure that was signed into law last year by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Hospitals in Texas are now obligated by Governor Abbott's directive to track the number of undocumented immigrants who get inpatient discharges or emergency room visits, the total cost of these services, and to report this information. Starting November 1st, the new criteria are to be implemented by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Hospitals that participate in Medicaid, CHIP, and other designated healthcare programs are expected to comply.

Abbott stated alongside the order, "Texas has had to foot the bill for medical costs for individuals illegally in the state," referring to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' open border policy. Along with a number of other states, Texas has approved legislation to make it a crime for individuals to enter the country illegally and to provide state officials the authority to prosecute those who are believed to have violated this law. The federal government's position that immigration policy should be handled at the federal level has led to legal challenges against these initiatives at the state level.

Texas has been paying an unfair share of the medical expenses for illegal immigrants, according to Governor Abbott, who used the record number of migrant apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years to justify the order. This action is in line with Texas's larger plan to legally and politically contest the Biden administration's immigration policies.