Texas to require hospitals collect, report illegal immigrant costs
Not only do illegal foreign nationals receiving taxpayer-funded medical care create a burden for taxpayers, but they also increase medical care costs for all Texans, Abbott notes.
Published: August 8, 2024 11:00pm
After more than three and a half years of a border crisis, Texas followed Florida on a key immigration issue, this time to determine how much taxpayers are footing the bill for illegal foreign nationals receiving medical care in public hospitals.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a three-page Executive Order directing the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect information on illegal foreign nationals who receive inpatient and emergency care at Texas public hospitals. It also requires HHSC to annually report all inpatient and emergency care costs incurred for illegal foreign nationals to the governor and state legislature in order for the state to seek reimbursement from the federal government.
“Due to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ open border policies, Texas has had to foot the bill for medical costs for individuals illegally in the state,” Abbott said. “Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants. That is why today I issued an Executive Order requiring the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect and report healthcare costs for illegal immigrants in our state. Texas will hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for the consequences of their open border policies, and we will fight to ensure that they pay back Texas for their costly and dangerous policies.”
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/texas-require-hospitals-collect-report-illegal-immigrant-costs
