Official Summary Text
HB2689 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet
Assigned to
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VETOED
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session
VETOED
FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1051/H.B. 2689
hospitals; patient
immigration status; reporting
Purpose
Requires
hospitals that accept payment from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment
System (AHCCCS) to include on patient admission forms a place to indicate
citizenship status and prescribes quarterly reporting requirements.
Background
Information
received and records kept by the Department of Health Services (DHS) are
available to the public unless the information: 1) is personally identifiable
medical information or any information from which a patient or the patient's
family may be identified; 2) is personally identifiable information of a
physician; 3) is obtained to review healthcare utilization or certain
healthcare practices; or 4) causes DHS to believe that an inspection of an
institution is needed to determine compliance. However, DHS may disclose
information to an officer of the court pursuant to a court order, a state
department or agency, the federal government, a law enforcement agency or a county
medical examiner if the release of information is necessary and pertinent to an
investigation or proceeding, unless prohibited by federal or state law. The
recipient must maintain patient and source name confidentiality (
A.R.S.
� 36-404
).
DHS may not
require any reports from health care institutions to be filed beyond annually
unless such filings are otherwise required by state or federal law or result
from necessary processing of applications or requests filed by such
institutions (
A.R.S.
� 36-408
).
�������������� There
is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1.
Requires a hospital that accepts AHCCCS to include a place on the
hospital's admission or registration form for a patient, or the patient's
representative, to state or indicate whether the patient is lawfully or
unlawfully present in the United States or a U.S. citizen.
2.
Stipulates that the inquiry must be followed by a statement 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.
3.
Requires each hospital to submit a report to DHS within 30 days after
the end of each calendar quarter that states the number of hospital admissions
or emergency department visits within the previous quarter made by patients who
provided citizenship status or declined to answer.
4.
Requires,
on or before March 1 of each year, DHS to submit a report to the Governor,
President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives that:
a)
includes
the total number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits for the
previous calendar year in which the patient or patient's representative who
provided citizenship status or declined to answer; and
b)
describes
information relating to the costs of uncompensated care for aliens who are not
lawfully present in the United States, the impact of the uncompensated care on
the cost or ability of hospitals to provide services to the public, hospital
funding needs and other related information.
5.
Requires DHS to provide a copy of the report to the Secretary of State.
6.
Allows
DHS to adopt rules relating to:
a)
the
format and information to be contained in quarterly reports; and
b)
the
acceptable format for hospitals to use in requesting information regarding a
patient's immigration status on admission and registration forms.
7.
Prohibits rules prescribed by DHS from requiring the disclosure of a
patient's name or any other personal identifying information.
8.
Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Governor's
Veto Message
The Governor
indicates in her
veto message
that federal law requires
hospitals to provide emergency stabilization care to every person who needs it,
regardless of where they are from or their ability to pay.
Senate Action
���������������������������������������������������������
House
Action
MABS������ 1/22/26������� W/D����������������������������������� HHS��������������� 2/22/26����� DP���������� 7-5-0-0
HHS��������� 1/28/26������� DP���� 4-3-0������������������������ 3
rd
Read��������� 2/12/26���������������������� 33-25-2
3
rd
Read��� 2/10/26������� 17-13-0������������������������������ (S.B.
1051 was substituted for H.B. 2689 on 3
rd
Read)
Vetoed by the Governor on 2/20/26
Prepared by Senate Research
February 23, 2026
MM/hk
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
HB2689 - 572R - H Ver
House Engrossed
hospitals; patient
immigration status; reporting.
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
HOUSE BILL 2689
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:
START_STATUTE
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 shall 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 shall 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 that they are not lawfully present in the United
States or declined to answer the question.
C. 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.
D. 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.
END_STATUTE