Governor Greg Abbott orders Texas public hospitals to disclose costs for treating migrants

click to enlarge

Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff

Doctors say many of the undocumented people treated in public hospitals are in the country legally and pay taxes to support public health facilities.

On Thursday, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order requiring Texas public hospitals to disclose the costs they incur in treating undocumented immigrants.

The order – which the Republican governor said was triggered by the White House’s “open borders policy” – would apply to the University Health systemthe public hospital district for the San Antonio metropolitan area and the third-largest public health system in Texas. However, it likely applies to a wider range of medical facilities.

While Abbott's order states that the federal government “may or should be obligated” to reimburse the state for these hospital costs, the document does not provide details on how that might happen.

The order would affect about 200,000 illegal immigrants living in San Antonio. Many of these people are in the country legally while awaiting a decision on their asylum claims. Many also pay taxes to fund University Health.

According to a recent study by the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented workers in Texas paid $4.9 billion in state and local taxes in 2022.

Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Texas Hospital Association told the Texas Tribune that her organization is still reviewing the order, but added that hospitals “are required by law to provide life-saving treatment to every person, regardless of their ability to pay or status.”

In fact, Texas hospitals Do not ask about immigration status as a prerequisite for treatment — something that is recommended according to the guidelines of one's own state Ministry of Public Health Services.

Dr. Brian Elmore, an emergency medicine resident at the University Medical Center of El Paso, told the news site El Paso Matters that Abbott's order makes no sense. Most of the migrants Elmore treats are in the country legally because their applications have been processed by federal authorities and they are now awaiting immigration hearings.

“Do we have to check your visas now?” asked Elmore. “Is [Abbott] “By essentially delegating hospital staff to immigration officials?”

Elmore told El Paso Matters he fears state officials could use the information for purposes other than applying for federal reimbursements. Abbott's mandate comes weeks after an El Paso judge blocked an attempt by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – an ally of the governor – to shut down the migrant shelter network Annunciation House.

“In the context of Abbott's attempt to criminalize humanitarian aid through the attacks on Annunciation House, I am also concerned that any intelligence collected for the state could be used for nefarious purposes,” Elmore told the news site.

Civil rights activists said the order was another attempt by Abbott to demonize and intimidate immigrants for political gain. The governor has made Operation Lone Star, an $11 billion border enforcement effort, a central part of his political image and has repeatedly used rhetoric popular with white supremacists that compares a surge in border crossings to an “invasion.”

Abbott also spoke out at the recent Republican Party convention in favor of US President Donald Trump’s plan to “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”

“This is part of a larger pattern of xenophobia and racial discrimination that we must denounce,” said Marisa Limón Garza, executive director of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.Instead of taking steps to improve access to adequate health care for all Texans, Abbott is wasting time and resources by instructing medical staff to focus on the conditions of those entrusted to their care, proving once again that the governor has no problem scapegoating immigrants for the failures of public service across Texas.”

According to the governor's order, public hospitals must begin collecting data on November 1 of this year, while hospitals covered directly by health insurance have until March of next year to do so. Private sector hospitals are not affected.

Subscribe to the SA Current newsletter.