Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order Thursday that will require hospitals to record the immigration status of their patients starting later this year. The goal is to determine the costs the state incurs from treating people without permanent residency status.
On social media, Abbott vowed to pressure Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration to compensate Texas for its “costly” border policies.
“Texans should NOT have to pay for health care for illegal immigrants,” the governor wrote.
Under federal law, hospitals are not permitted to deny emergency care to a person, regardless of their immigration status or ability to cover the cost of treatment.
Abbott said this would ultimately result in Texans “bearing, in the form of higher taxes, the costs associated with publicly supporting the health care of persons who are not legally present in the United States.”
Under the new rules, hospitals in the state will be required to log the number of inpatient discharges and emergency room visits for these immigrants, as well as the costs associated with their care, starting November 1, 2024. The newly signed order also requires hospitals to report the data quarterly to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, with initial reports due by March 1, 2025.
In addition, starting in January 2026, hospitals will be required to submit an annual report to the state governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House of Representatives on the cost of providing care to these immigrants.
Abbott said hospitals should inform patients that the information they collect will not affect the care they provide.
The Texas Hospital Association, an industry trade group, said in a press release that it is currently reviewing the executive order.
The new policy has already drawn criticism from Democrats, including Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia.
“Here we go again! @GovAbbott is social engineering and targeting immigrants again. Simply unacceptable,” Garcia wrote on social media, mentioning a username used by Abbott.
“He should focus on issues that matter to Texas families, like making sure our kids are safe from gun violence in school and fixing our damn power grid.”
Abbott, who has frequently clashed with the Biden administration on immigration issues, did not pledge to work with Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, to make progress on the issue if they win the White House in November’s election.
“As governor of the largest border state, I have to tell you this ticket is very scary,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday. “As bad as Joe Biden was on the border, Harris-Waltz is going to be even worse.”
