A viral TikTok by a Texas doctor addressing patients’ rights under Governor Greg Abbott’s immigration policy has sparked controversy and a funding threat against Texas Children’s Hospital.
Following cardiologist and Baylor College of Medicine assistant professor Dr. Tony Pastor's TikHub video informing patients they are not legally compelled to divulge their citizenship status, Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to remove funds for Texas Children's Hospital.
Abbott's August executive order, which took effect on November 1 and mandates public hospitals accepting Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) to gather information on healthcare costs for illegal immigrants, fuels debate. The directive forces hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status and seek government compensation.
Originally deleted, Dr. Pastor's video was part of an advocacy campaign meant to let patients know about their rights under the policy. The executive order mandates that hospitals inquire about immigration status, and patients are not obliged to respond to the query. Tania Chavez Camacho, executive director of La Unión del Pueblo Entero, an advocacy group working on patient awareness, clarified.
Abbott has presented the program as a means of balancing expenses resulting from federal border regulations. Critics counter that the arrangement would deter illegal immigrants from obtaining treatment, therefore endangering public health.
With supporters praising Pastor's attempts to inform underprivileged groups and opponents, including Abbot,t claiming the video compromises the executive order, his viral tweet has heightened the controversy. The threat the governor makes to cut Texas Children's Hospital emphasizes the significant stakes involved in healthcare professionals negotiating the ethical and legal complexity of the mandate.
This episode emphasizes continuous conflicts in Texas about executive power, healthcare access, and immigration.
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