Tennessee House Bill HB0144

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/14/25
• Refer: 1/16/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to healthcare.

Impact

If enacted, HB0144 will require participating hospitals to generate reports that track the number of admissions and emergency visits from individuals based on their reported immigration status. This stipulation aims to provide more comprehensive data on hospital utilization and the financial implications of providing services to individuals without lawful presence in the United States. The bill mandates the Department of Health to submit annual reviews to state legislative leaders, focusing on uncompensated care costs and the impact these costs have on public health services.

Summary

House Bill 144 (HB0144) seeks to amend the Tennessee Code Annotated across Title 33, Title 68, and Title 71, with a focus on healthcare provisions for hospitals receiving Medicaid. The bill establishes requirements for hospitals to include questions regarding a patient's citizenship or immigration status on admission forms. This information is intended to help the state understand and report on hospital usage by citizens, lawful residents, and those not lawfully present, although it emphasizes that such disclosures will not affect the quality of patient care.

Contention

There are notable points of contention surrounding HB0144, particularly regarding patient privacy concerns and the potential chilling effect on individuals seeking medical attention due to fear of disclosing their immigration status. Critics argue that requiring such information could discourage individuals from seeking necessary healthcare services, thus exacerbating public health issues. There is also apprehension around the implications of reporting data on patients not lawfully present, raising ethical questions about how this data might be used, especially concerning law enforcement.

Implementation

The bill is set to take effect with provisions for rule promulgation, allowing the Department of Health to develop specific regulations to enforce its stipulations while ensuring that patients' personal identifying information remains confidential. The initial implementation will occur upon becoming law, with the reporting requirements becoming active on July 1, 2025, giving hospitals time to adjust their admission processes to comply.