Fox News – An audit requested by state GOP lawmakers shows Illinois Gov. Pritzker’s administration underestimated costs and demand for illegal immigrant health programs, totaling $1.6B.
Texas hospitals were left on the hook for nearly $122 million in health care costs racked up by illegal immigrants for one month last year, the first month the state began tracking the figures.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order in August mandating the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (THHSC) to track the number of “individuals not lawfully present” in the U.S. who used Texas public hospitals.
The first report, released Friday, shows more than 31,000 hospital visits by illegal immigrants in November alone — costing Texas hospitals $121.8 million.
Abbott’s executive order directed Texas hospitals to provide THHSC with quarterly breakdowns on patients who are not lawfully present in the U.S., including the number of inpatient discharges, emergency department visits and the cost of care provided to these patients.
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“Texas has reliable data on the dramatic financial impact that illegal immigration is having on our hospital system.”
Though the $121.8 million incurred represents the month of November 2024, future reports will include full quarterly data, THHSC said.
The agency will release its first yearly report of data collected from hospital providers Jan. 1, 2026.
THHSC said that hospital providers inform patients that their immigration status responses do not affect their care, as required by federal law …