Bill > SB1268

This bill requires hospitals in Arizona that accept certain government payments to modify their patient admission forms to include a voluntary question about the patient's citizenship or immigration status, with explicit assurance that the response will not impact medical care or result in immigration enforcement. Hospitals must then compile and submit quarterly reports to the state health department detailing the number of patient admissions or emergency department visits categorized by patients' responses: those who are U.S. citizens, lawfully present in the United States, not lawfully present, or who declined to answer. By March 1st each year, the department must submit a comprehensive report to the governor, state senate president, and house speaker summarizing the previous year's data, including information about uncompensated care costs related to patients who are not lawfully present and the potential financial impact on hospitals. The department is authorized to create administrative rules governing the reporting process, with a specific prohibition on collecting patients' personal identifying information. The bill aims to gather data about healthcare utilization and costs associated with different patient immigration statuses while explicitly protecting patient privacy and ensuring that immigration status inquiries do not deter individuals from seeking medical care.

Health and Social Services, Military Affairs and Security

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/82630