Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has touted the success of his efforts to make his state less of a popular destination for illegal immigrants, and new data shows the state’s Medicaid spending on illegal immigrants has dropped significantly.
According to state data obtained by Fox News Digital, $159 million in state and federal funding was allocated to Medicaid for immigrants in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. In May 2023, Governor DeSantis signed a law that includes a provision requiring hospitals to collect and submit data on the cost of providing medical care to undocumented immigrants, meaning hospitals must ask patients about their immigration status. This went into effect in July 2023, when the new state fiscal year began.
As of May of fiscal year 23-24 (with two months still remaining), the amount spent on Florida’s emergency medical assistance program has fallen to $67 million, a drop of more than 50%.
DeSantis policy changes cut Florida immigrant Medicaid costs in half: report
This data was first reported POLITICOThe National Assembly has drawn a connection between the law and a drop in Medicaid spending. Patients are not forced to respond, but activists have warned that it could have a chilling effect on immigrants seeking health care. Under federal law, illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid, but states are required to provide them with care in emergencies.
The bill signed by Governor DeSantis included other provisions aimed at making Florida less welcoming to illegal immigrants, including requiring electronic verification, banning NGOs and local governments from issuing identification cards to illegal immigrants, suspending the licenses of employers who hire illegal immigrants, and increasing funding for transportation programs to transport illegal immigrants to “sanctuary” areas.
Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference on April 8, 2024, in Sanford, Florida. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
During his remarks on “Hannity,” Governor DeSantis said he had already banned “sanctuary” jurisdictions in Florida, but took further steps when President Biden entered the White House.
“We knew we weren’t going to get help from the federal government, so we had to take different steps at the state level to stop illegal immigration into the state,” he said.
He also noted that the law led to a decrease in Medicaid spending, saying, “When patients came into the hospital, we asked about their immigration status. As a result, Medicaid spending plummeted by 50 percent.”
He also mentioned other measures to reporters, including increased enforcement on the South Florida coast to stop illegal immigrants arriving by boat, deporting migrants to places like Martha’s Vineyard and sending troops to Texas to stop illegal immigration.
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He also noted that there is a law that says driver’s licenses issued to illegal immigrants in other states are not recognized in Florida.
“So we could do a lot to discourage people from trying to come,” he said.
The measures have sparked outrage from immigration activists who call them cruel and anti-immigrant, while some companies say they are seeing an exodus of workers, hurting profits in industries such as agriculture.
“Maybe they think the crop will harvest naturally,” one farmer said. He told NPR During April.
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Migrants traveling from Del Rio, Texas, board a city bus bound for a shelter reception center at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York on May 13, 2023. (Victor J. Blue/Getty Images)
But while places like Miami have traditionally been major arrival points for illegal immigrants, Florida has avoided some of the dangers associated with the immigration crisis that has plagued some Democratic-leaning cities and states.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey sent officials to the border last week to warn migrants that the state’s shelter system was full and unable to accept new arrivals. She declared a state of emergency last year in response to the crisis.
New York City, Boston, Chicago and other cities are petitioning the federal government for more funding and to speed up issuing work permits to migrants to ease the strain caused by the surge in new immigrants. These cities and states often tout their more welcoming stance toward immigrants, acknowledging that in some cases that may be encouraging them to move.
The move adds fuel to a national debate over how to handle illegal immigration. The Biden administration has taken steps to make the border more orderly and more in line with American values, and has called on Congress for more funding and sweeping immigration reform to make that happen.
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Republicans, meanwhile, have accused the administration of fueling a crisis through its policies and have called for increased border security and restrictions on entry into the US.
