H.B. No. 2587 introduces a new requirement for an annual report on the financial impact of uncompensated care provided by hospitals to individuals not lawfully present in the United States. The bill amends the Government Code by adding Section 525.0304, which defines key terms such as "financial impact," "hospital," and "person not lawfully present." It mandates that by November 1 of each year, the Health and Human Services Commission must submit a report to the governor and legislature detailing the financial implications for hospitals that provided care to these individuals during the previous fiscal year. Additionally, hospitals are required to include questions about patients' citizenship or immigration status on their intake forms and to submit quarterly reports on emergency room visits and inpatient discharges for these patients.

The bill also stipulates that the Health and Human Services Commission must ensure that the reports do not contain any personal identifying information. The executive commissioner is tasked with adopting the necessary rules to implement this section, with the initial report not required until December 1, 2026, despite the law taking effect on September 1, 2025. This legislation aims to provide transparency regarding the financial burden on hospitals due to uncompensated care for individuals who are not legally present in the country.

Statutes affected:
House Committee Report: ()