ID H0592

Every hospital accepting Medicaid must include a question on patient admission or registration forms asking whether the patient is a U.S. citizen, lawfully present, or not lawfully present in the United States, accompanied by a statement that the response will not affect patient care or trigger a report to immigration authorities.

Hospitals must submit quarterly reports to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare within 30 days after each calendar quarter, detailing hospital admissions and emergency department visits broken down by the three self-reported immigration status categories.

The Department of Health and Welfare must submit an annual report by March 1 to the governor, senate president pro tempore, and house speaker summarizing the prior year's admission data by immigration status, along with information on uncompensated care costs for individuals not lawfully present and the impact on hospital services and funding.

The department may promulgate rules regarding report formats and hospital intake form formats, but rules may not require disclosure of patient names or other personal identifying information.

The bill defines five categories of immigration status: U.S. citizens, permanent residents, nonimmigrants (e.g., students and temporary workers), refugees and asylees, and undocumented migrants or illegal aliens, and declares an emergency with an effective date of July 1, 2026.