Starting Nov. 1, Texas hospitals will have to ask patients about their citizenship status, The Texas Tribune reported Oct. 17.
Here are six things to know:
1. This summer, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot ordered hospitals in the state to ask patients about their citizenship status as part of an effort to quantify the cost of care to undocumented immigrants and have the Biden administration reimburse Texas taxpayers.
"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," Mr. Abbott said in a statement in August. "Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants."
2. Although hospitals are required to ask about citizenship status, patients are not legally bound to answer. The answer patients give will also not interrupt care, according to the Texas Hospital Association.
3. Hospitals are still determining how to comply with the order. In March, they will turn over data collected or risk losing their Medicaid reimbursements,
4. Texas leads the nation in the number of insured residents with about 18% of 30 million Texans uninsured. Most of those residents are citizens. The state has the largest number of undocumented immigrants, at an estimated 2.8 million, which accounts for about 10% of the state's population.
5. According to the Texas Hospital Association, Texas hospitals spend about $3.1 billion a year on uninsured care.
6. Previous data showed that immigrants who lack access to health insurance plans seek healthcare treatment at a lower rate than citizens.