SENATE BILL 139
By Lowe
HOUSE BILL 144
By Zachary
HB0144
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33;
Title 68 and Title 71, relative to healthcare.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a)
(1) Each hospital that accepts medicaid must include on a patient's
admission or registration forms a provision for the patient or the patient's
representative to indicate whether the patient is:
(A) A citizen of the United States;
(B) Lawfully present in the United States; or
(C) Not lawfully present in the United States.
(2) The provision must be followed by a statement that the response will
not affect patient care or result in a report of the patient's citizenship status to law
enforcement or to the bureau of immigration and customs enforcement of the
United States department of homeland security.
(b) Within thirty (30) calendar days after the end of each quarter, each hospital
that accepts medicaid shall submit a report to the department of health with the number
of hospital admissions and emergency department visits within the previous quarter that
were made by a patient who:
(1) Was:
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(A) A citizen of the United States or lawfully present in the United
States; and
(B) Not lawfully present in the United States; and
(2) Declined to answer.
(c)
(1) On or before July 1, 2026, and on or before July 1 of each
subsequent year, the department of health shall submit to the governor, the
speaker of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives a report
of the total number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits for
the previous year for which the patient or patient's representative reported that
the patient:
(A) Was:
(i) A citizen of the United States or lawfully present in the
United States; and
(ii) Not lawfully present in the United States; and
(B) Declined to answer.
(2) The report must describe information relating to the costs of
uncompensated care for a person who is 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.
(d) The department of health is authorized to promulgate rules to effectuate this
section. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative
Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5. Any rules promulgated by the department
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of health to effectuate this section must not require the disclosure of patient names or
other personal identifying information to the department of health.
SECTION 2. For purposes of promulgating rules, this act takes effect upon becoming a
law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect July 1, 2025, the
public welfare requiring it.