Beginning this week, Texas hospitals will be required to report the healthcare costs of illegal aliens.
An executive order signed in August by Gov. Greg Abbott is set to go into effect Friday, November 1. It directs the Health and Human Services Commission to collect information on medical costs provided to illegal immigrants. Hospitals must also report the data to HHSC quarterly with the first submissions due March 1, 2025.
The executive order also states that starting January 1, 2026, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House will be briefed on the costs for medical care provided to illegal immigrants from the preceding year.
“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 after signing the executive order in August. “Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants.”
According to Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texans pay an average of about $152 million a year to house illegal aliens, between $62 million and $90 million to include illegals in Texas’ emergency Medicaid program, and between $579 million and $717 million for hospitals to provide uncompensated medical care.