Don't Mess With Texas: Gov. Abbott Orders Hospitals to Report Costs of Care for Illegal Immigrants

It's a safe bet that most folks agree that we have a right to know what our tax dollars are being spent on.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has ordered precisely this, as he has signed an executive order requiring hospitals in the Lone Star State to report the costs of treatments rendered to illegal aliens.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued an executive order that requires Texas public hospitals to collect information on undocumented immigrants who receive care, including the cost of care, in an effort to get the federal government to pay the state for those costs.
In a release, Abbott said he issued the order because of what he called President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' "open border policies."
Abbott said the state would be fighting to get the federal government to pay for the medical costs associated with treating undocumented immigrants.

The order will apply to a range of Texas hospitals and clinics.

The order applies to hospitals enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program as well as any others identified by the HHSC.
Harris Health, which runs Ben Taub, LBJ and other county health clinics, told KHOU 11 News that it would comply with the order.
KHOU 11 Legal Analyst Carmen Roe said other states and cities have similar laws in place. She also said people in need of care can't be forced to answer a question about immigration status and can't be denied services based on their immigration status.

This is the right thing to do, whether or not Texas is successful in getting Washington to pick up the tab.

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As I’ve said for years, if you don’t believe that taxation involves taking your money – your resources – with the implied use of force, try not paying your tax bill and see how long it is before whatever level of government you have stiffed sends men with guns out looking for you. Taxation is not voluntary; it is compulsory and is enforced with the full power of government. As taxpayers who are inextricably bound to this system, the very least we can expect is to know what the various levels of government are spending our money on.

Governor Abbott, in signing this order, is not only providing this transparency — he is also revealing the cost of illegal immigration on our strained healthcare system. I've heard first-hand accounts of these strains; my oldest daughter, who has worked in emergency medicine for nearly 20 years, has regaled her mother and me time and again with stories of how illegals use the emergency rooms as a clinic, coming in with everything from hangovers to head colds. And this isn't in Texas; this is in Iowa.

We not only have a right to know how much money this is costing us — we should be demanding to know. Governor Abbott's order should be an example for the other 49 states.

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