Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to cut funding to Texas Children’s Hospital after a Houston doctor, Dr. Tony Pastor, posted a TikTok video advising patients to disregard a new state law requiring hospitals to inquire about patients’ citizenship during intake. The executive order, effective November 1, mandates that hospitals accepting Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) payments collect this information.
Dr. Pastor, a cardiologist at Texas Children’s Hospital and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, told viewers in the now-deleted video, “Just know that you do not have to answer this question.” The video quickly garnered over one million views before being taken down. Abbott responded sharply, warning that failure to comply with the law could jeopardize the hospital’s Medicaid and Medicare funding. “Hey Texas Children’s Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine, this doctor is putting your Medicaid & Medicare funding at risk. [You] better think twice & have crystal clear records,” Abbott said.
In response to Abbott’s remarks, Pastor posted on TikTok, framing the governor’s response as a threat to his freedom of speech. “When the gov of Texas threatens you on Twitter because he is mad you exercised freedom of speech,” Pastor wrote in a caption on November 26. In a separate video, Pastor criticized the law, saying it seeks to gather data on undocumented patients “under the guise of trying to get data on how much money we’re spending on undocumented patients.”
Texas Children’s Hospital distanced itself from Pastor’s statements, affirming its compliance with Abbott’s executive order. “Texas Children’s fully supports Governor Abbott’s new Executive Order and is in full compliance,” the hospital stated. “While we recognize that individuals working at Texas Children’s hold their own personal views on many topics, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of Texas Children’s Hospital.”
The hospital emphasized its commitment to patient care while adhering to all laws and legal directives. “We will continue to prioritize patient care while ensuring we are in full compliance with all laws and legal directives,” it said.
The clash underscores the contentious debate surrounding immigration and healthcare in Texas, with Abbott’s administration advocating stricter regulations and critics raising concerns over patient privacy and the implications for undocumented individuals seeking medical care.
