HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo scolds Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that mandates all state hospitals to ask patients whether they are in the U.S. legally and track the cost of treating people without legal status.
The order went into effect on Friday, Nov. 1.
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Critics fear the change could scare people away from hospitals in Texas, even though patients are not required to answer the questions to receive medical care. Texas hospitals have spent months preparing for the change and have sought to reassure patients that it won’t affect their level of care.
Hidalgo released a statement Friday, stating that the order will further demonize immigrants and not make a real difference to the community.
She also reassured residents that nothing will change about the quality of care patients in Harris County receive, regardless of immigration status.
Read Hidalgo’s full statement below:
“Governor Abbott’s executive order going into effect today is meant to further demonize immigrants, but in reality will not have a significant impact on our community. Executive Order GA-46 requires hospitals to collect information on undocumented patients receiving care, but the fact of the matter is that public and private hospitals throughout Texas and every other state have already been collecting this data since the ‘90s so they can get reimbursed by the federal government.
“The only difference is now, Texas hospitals will be required to send the data to the state government as well. Most importantly, there’s no personal identifiable information in the data that hospitals send. I want folks to know that nothing will change about the quality of care that patients in Harris County receive. All patients, regardless of immigration status, can feel comfortable continuing to seek medical care.
“Furthermore, as has always been the case, patients are entitled to simply refuse to answer the question about their legal status.”