- On Nov. 1, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s mandate for hospitals goes into effect.
- The mandate requires hospitals to ask patients about their citizenship status. Data they collect will be used to ask for medical care reimbursement from the federal government.
- Hospitals in Corpus Christi said they’ll follow the mandate, and will not turn patients away.
An executive order goes into effect Friday, Nov. 1 , for hospitals in Texas. Texas hospitals are now required to ask patients about their citizenship status.
The mandate’s purpose is to help the state understand how much money is spent on medical care for undocumented immigrants.
The Texas government plans to request that money back from the federal grant. The first hospital data must be reported to Texas Health and Human Services no later than March 1, 2025. Then, continue to make quarterly reports with this information.
In a statement announcing the order, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, “Texas should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants.”