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REFERENCE TITLE: hospitals; patient immigration status; reporting |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
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SB 1268 |
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Introduced by Senators Rogers: Finchem
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AN ACT
Amending title 36, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 36-407.04; RElating to health care institutions.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 36, chapter 4, article 1, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 36-407.04, to read:
36-407.04. Hospitals; patient immigration status; data collection; reporting requirements
A. Each hospital that accepts payment pursuant to chapter 29, article 1 of this title must include a place on its patient admission or registration form for the patient or the patient's representative to state or indicate whether the patient is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States or is not lawfully present in the United States. The inquiry must be followed by a statement on the form that the patient's response will not affect the patient's care or result in a report of the patient's immigration status to immigration authorities.
B. Each hospital must submit a quarterly report to the department within thirty days after the end of each calendar quarter that states the number of hospital admissions or emergency department visits within the previous quarter that were made by patients who indicated that they are a citizen of the United States or lawfully present in the United States, indicated they are not lawfully present in the United States or declined to answer the question.
C. On or before March 1 of each year, the department shall submit a report to the governor, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives that includes the total number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits for the previous calendar year for which the patient or patient's representative reported that the patient is a citizen of the United States, is lawfully present in the United States or is not lawfully present in the United States or declined to answer the question. The report must also describe information relating to the costs of uncompensated care for aliens who are not lawfully present in the United States, the impact of uncompensated care on the cost or ability of hospitals to provide services to the public, hospital funding needs and other related information. The department shall provide a copy of the report to the secretary of state.
D. The department may adopt rules relating to the format and information to be contained in quarterly reports and the acceptable formats for hospitals to use in requesting information regarding a patient's immigration status on hospital admission or registration forms. The rules may not require the disclosure of patient names or any other personal identifying information to the department.