Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order requiring the state to track the costs to hospitals for treating people in this country illegally, could have a chilling effect on people seeking medical care, public health and immigrant advocates say.
“Just hearing the news makes our community feel fearful of being able to share their information or go to the hospital,” said Alain Cisneros, campaign coordinator for immigrant rights organization FIEL Houston.
Abbott’s Aug. 8 executive order requires the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to direct public hospitals in the state to track patients’ immigration status and report the cost of providing in-patient and emergency room care to people in the country illegally.
Starting Nov. 1, affected hospitals will be required to collect the information and report it to the commission on a quarterly basis. The first report is due to the state on March 1, 2025.
Abbott said the state would seek to have the federal government reimburse those costs.