Gov. Abbott orders Texas hospitals to report costs tied to undocumented immigrants
TEXAS - Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Thursday requiring public hospitals to collect and report healthcare costs for migrants who crossed the border illegally.
The executive order calls on hospitals to collect information on "patients who are not lawfully present in the United States" starting on November 1, 2024.
That information must be reported to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission no later than March 1, 2025 and continue to report data quarterly.
An annual report will be sent to the Texas Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House starting on January 1, 2026.
"Increased expenditures for Texas hospitals providing medical care to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States imposes burdens on the Texas healthcare system, including by predictably increasing the costs of medical care for all Texans," reads the executive order.
READ MORE: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott criticizes Biden on border issues at RNC
Governor Abbott posted on social media that Texans should not have to foot the bill for healthcare provided to migrants.
"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," Abbott said in a statement.
US Customs and Border Patrol
Data from US Customs and Border Patrol shows there have been 2.4 million encounters with migrants between October 2023 and June 2024.