Texas orders hospitals to calculate how much they spend on care for illegal immigrants

Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday ordered Texas hospitals to collect and report data on how much money they spend to care for illegal immigrants.

The Republican governor said his goal is to get a full accounting of costs so Texas can demand repayment from the federal government.

Hospitals must start collecting the information by November and will make quarterly submissions to the state starting next year, with a full accounting to top officials starting in 2026.

“Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants,” Mr. Abbott said.

The costs of illegal immigration are heatedly debated but tough to pin down. Schools are required to provide education to all children regardless of legal status, and hospitals are required to provide emergency care without regard to status.

For medical care, the illegal immigrants are often unable to pay, and the hospitals absorb the cost, passing it on to other patients.

Immigrant rights activists have complained about efforts to track illegal immigrants’ use of services, arguing it would discourage them from using those services.

Mr. Abbott told hospitals to assure patients that their status doesn’t affect their treatment.