Committee advances optional hospital intake reporting on immigration status amid sharp opposition

Representative (Dr.) Heap introduced HB26‑89 to add optional intake questions asking whether a patient is lawfully present in the United States and requiring quarterly aggregated reporting (no identifying data) to the legislature about care costs associated with that status. The sponsor argued the data is needed to understand uncompensated care costs and future budget exposure after federal changes to emergency Medicaid.

Medical witnesses and civil‑liberties groups strongly opposed the measure. Dr. Ozma Joffrey, a family physician with emergency medicine experience, said similar policy moves and enforcement activity previously suppressed preventive and emergency care: "As health care workers we cannot put our patients at risk of falling into the hands" of immigration enforcement, she said, describing instances where ICE presence outside facilities deterred care and interfered with clinicians. The ACLU and other speakers warned that collecting immigration status in health settings creates a pipeline for enforcement, undermines medical neutrality, and would deter patients from seeking care, increasing community health risks.

Proponents left the collection voluntary and emphasized that federal law (EMTALA) requires treatment for emergencies and does not permit denial of care; they said prior state data collections in other states informed budget decisions about uncompensated care. Committee discussion weighed data value against chilling effects; the bill advanced by roll call (7 Ayes, 5 Nays) with the sponsor and supporters pointing to non‑identifying aggregated reporting and the committee’s interest in financial data for rural hospitals.

What’s next: If enacted, hospitals would add voluntary intake fields and the legislature would receive aggregated reports. Opponents warned that even voluntary collection may reduce care‑seeking and urged lawmakers to weigh public‑health consequences before moving to implementation.