H.B. No. 1310 introduces a new requirement for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to produce an annual report detailing the costs incurred by the state and its political subdivisions in providing health care services to foreign patients. Specifically, the bill mandates the collection of data on costs associated with inpatient health care services and emergency care provided to uninsured patients who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. The report must include recommendations for seeking reimbursement from the federal government for these costs and is to be submitted to the governor and the legislature by January 1 of each year.
To facilitate this process, the bill outlines that public hospitals must inform patients receiving such care about the reporting requirements and clarify that this does not affect their obligation to provide care under federal law. The executive commissioner is tasked with adopting necessary rules to implement these provisions, with a deadline for rule adoption set for October 1, 2025, and the first report due by January 1, 2027. The act is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.