Greg Abbott Issues Executive Order Requiring Hospitals to Waive All Costs Incurred in Care of Undocumented Immigrants

On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) issued an executive order requiring all hospitals and health care facilities to report the number of visits and costs incurred by undocumented immigrants.

Abbott’s executive order goes into effect Nov. 1, and requires hospitals to report all data to the Health and Human Services Commission by March 1, 2025. The information must be reported to the commission quarterly thereafter.

Texans should NOT have to pay for healthcare for illegal immigrants.

I issued an executive order directing HHSC to collect and report health care costs for undocumented immigrants.

We will fight to ensure the Biden-Harris administration repays Texas for its costly open borders policy. photo:twitter.com/NRHzXiJ1VH

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 8, 2024

Previously, hospitals did not ask patients about their legal status in the United States. Abbott said the patients’ response would not affect their care. Hospitals are required by law to provide life-saving treatment to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Abbott plans to use the information to bill the Biden-Harris administration for the costs incurred by Texas.

“Because of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ open borders policies, Texas has had to cover the costs of treating people who are in the state illegally,” Abbott said in a statement Thursday. “Texans should not have to bear the financial burden of supporting healthcare for undocumented immigrants.”

Under the Biden-Harris administration, more than 11 million people have illegally crossed the southern border. To cope with the crisis, Abbott bused and flew migrants to “sanctuary cities” like New York and Chicago, which were quickly overwhelmed by the growing numbers and the costs of caring for migrants.

It is unclear how much it costs Texas hospitals to care for undocumented immigrants, but a 2021 report by Attorney General Ken Paxton estimated that public hospital districts spend $579 million and $717 million, respectively, annually on unpaid care for undocumented immigrants.

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While Texas is pushing for the Biden administration to be held accountable for the migrant crisis, California has passed a law that only increases the cost of caring for migrants. In January of this year, California became the first state to provide health insurance to undocumented immigrants. Federal lawmakers have estimated that the law providing free health care to undocumented immigrants would cost $3 billion to $6 billion a year.