Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to withhold money from a children’s hospital if it fails to comply with his executive order forcing medical care providers to enquire patients about their legal status on intake forms.
Abbott made the post on X in reaction to a doctor’s viral TikTok film in which he stated that patients were not required to answer the citizenship question.
“Hey Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, this doctor is jeopardising your Medicaid and Medicare benefits. [You] should consider twice and keep clear records. “There will be consequences for failing to follow the law in the Order,” Abbott wrote in his post.
On November 1, an executive order mandated that public hospitals collect data on their care for undocumented immigrants in order to receive payment from the federal government.
“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 explained in a statement. “Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants.”
However, critics of the order argue that it could discourage undocumented immigrants from seeking care for themselves or their children, who may be US citizens. Dr. Tony Pastor, a cardiologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and assistant professor at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine, is among several who have criticised it. Pastor submitted a video on his TikTok page that went viral, garnering over 1 million views before being removed.
In it, he stated that the directive had made doctors “uncomfortable.” He also urged people to get medical attention regardless of legal status, stating, “You should get health care if you’re sick.”
According to MedPage Today, the speaker suggested that people not feel obligated to respond to the question. “And my second sort of proposal is, wouldn’t it be amazing if everyone who comes in doesn’t answer it, and it really messes with whatever data that they’re looking for?”
In a subsequent video on his TikTok channel, Pastor questioned the state’s decision not to extend Medicaid.
“This new law that is asking hospitals about immigration status is under the guise of trying to get data on how much money we’re spending on undocumented immigrants,” said Mr. Cruz. “The reason I have an issue with that is if you really truly cared about patients and spending and both in Texas, then why are we one of 10 states that is not accepted Medicaid expansion?”
Abbott’s order also compels hospitals “to inform the patient that federal law mandates that any response to such questions will not affect patient care.”
Pastor elaborated on his points in an interview with local CBS affiliate KHOU. He described it as “very frustrating” for him because doctors “don’t really ask people where they come from.”
“It basically isolates a group of people and makes them afraid to enter. It is a marginalised minority that seeks health care later in life, and when they do, they are sicker,” he explained.
He went on to remark that patient treatment should be “immune from the politics of the nation.”
“We should just be taking care of patients based on evidenced-based care and not based on what politicians dictate,” Pastor told me.
After Abbott’s X post, Texas Children’s Hospital issued the following statement .
Texas Children’s fully supports Governor Abbott’s new Executive Order and is in full compliance. We have worked closely with the Texas Hospital Association and our industry partners across the state to ensure compliance in advance of the effective date. While we recognize that individuals working at Texas Children’s hold their own personal views on many topics, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of Texas Children’s Hospital. We will continue to prioritize patient care while ensuring we are in full compliance with all laws and legal directives.