Florida Hospitals Asking Patients About Immigration Status Spark Outrage

Ron DeSantis's sweeping new anti-immigration law, which compels hospitals in Florida to ask patients for their immigration status, is set to come into force on Saturday, July 1. It has received harsh criticism from the state's doctors.

Senate Bill 1718 was signed into law by the Republican governor in May with the intent to crack down on illegal migration in Florida and limit social services for undocumented migrants.

Under the new legislation, hospitals that accept Medicaid will have to ask patients for their immigration status before admitting them into care. They will also have to submit all relevant documents to the Agency for Health Care Administration, which will use them to calculate the state's annual cost of uncompensated care for people who live in Florida illegally.

Supporters of the law said it will help deter future illegal migration and help those who are in the state legally. However, doctors in Florida have consistently spoken against it, saying that it will likely deter people from seeking care until their condition is life-threatening. This would not only put people in danger, but also increase the cost of health care for the state.

In a public letter signed by 80 health-care providers before the passage of the law in May, doctors said that, "deterring any segment of our population from seeking healthcare is not only dangerous and life-threatening for individuals, but negatively impacts public health and undermines our efforts to improve the health of all."

The doctors added: "We should be doing all we can to encourage use of primary and preventive care, a far more efficient use of our overtaxed healthcare system."

The law has been condemned outside of the state, too. "How can we expect immigrant patients to come seek care they need if the hospital, that is supposed to be a place of healing, seems to be a hostile environment?" a doctor at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights rally in Los Angeles said of the Florida bill, as shown in a video shared on Twitter.

Health providers in Florida also said they're facing understaffing and burnout, and that this new law would likely exacerbate the situation, as reported by The Orlando Sentinel.

The new law has also met backlash from Latino workers and businesses in the state. Other measures in its text include allocating millions more tax dollars to expand DeSantis' migrant relocation program; invalidating drivers' licenses issued to undocumented people by other states; and imposing penalties on businesses hiring undocumented migrants.

Activists have also criticized what they expect would be the negative impacts of the new law. Drishti Pillai, director of immigrant health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told The Orlando Sentinel that the new measures will increase "fears among immigrants." They "will have some blood-chilling effects by leading immigrant families to avoid seeking health care not only for themselves, but also for their children who may include U.S.-born citizens, just out of fear of drawing attention to their immigration status."

The new law comes into force at a time when Florida has reported a sudden increase in malaria cases, with four being reported in the past few months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Newsweek has contacted Gov. DeSantis' media team for comment by email on Thursday.