A new executive order signed last week by Gov. Greg Abbott requires Texas hospitals to report costs associated with treating undocumented immigrants starting Nov. 1.
San Antonio hospitals are waiting for more guidance from the Texas Hospital Association on the new executive order.
The order applies to all hospitals enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program or (CHIP), and requires it to report the costs associated with treating undocumented patients or risk losing funding, according to the order.
Hospitals will be required to report the information directly to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission quarterly, with the initial submission due March 1, 2025.
This week, officials at University Health System, Baptist Health System, and CHRISTUS Health System couldn’t answer how its hospitals will handle the new order. They directed questions to Austin-based Texas Hospital Association. Methodist Healthcare did not respond to requests for comment.
“We expect more guidance next week from HHSC on how to implement these requirements and should be able to respond in more detail after we’ve had a chance to review that information,” said Elizabeth Allen, spokeswoman for University Health.
“We are also working with the THA, as they are taking the lead on what will be required for hospitals to follow the new requirements. That way all hospitals will have a consistent direction to follow on implementation,” she said.
On Tuesday, HHSC spokeswoman Jennifer Ruffcorn told the San Antonio Report that it will implement Abbott’s order and plans to give hospitals guidance next week on exactly what information to collect and how.
THA spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the association is “reviewing it as quickly as possible” in a statement on Aug. 8.
“Right now, hospitals don’t ask about patient immigration status as a condition of treatment,” she said. “Hospitals are required by law to provide life-saving treatment to anyone, regardless of ability to pay or status.”
Williams said the association has convened a team to analyze the order, resolve questions and gain perspective from state officials.
“THA recognizes the significant impact this news has had on Texas hospitals,” Williams wrote. “Additional conversations and meetings are occurring at the highest levels so THA can underscore the realities of hospital operations and care and ensure the best possible outcomes for hospitals and the patients they serve every day.”
The THA said on Tuesday that under the new executive order that hospitals will likely have to report data cumulatively.
In the order, Abbott said the state will seek reimbursement for inpatient and emergency care costs of patients “not lawfully present in the U.S.”
The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) issued a statement on Friday, saying that the order imposes an unconscionable barrier to health care, and forces hospitals to stoke fear of medical interventions among immigrant, refugee and asylum-seeking people and families.
“Governor Abbott is once again creating constructs rife for racial profiling, likely pushing health care professionals to assume a patient’s immigration status — thereby perpetuating stereotypes and stigmas,” said RAICES CEO Dolores Schroeder. “This executive order demonstrates that Governor Abbott does not feel constrained by normal legislative processes.“
