Florida's new immigration law could backfire
Florida's new immigration law is window dressing for a populist governor on a difficult road to the White House. Among the provisions of the law is a new requirement that hospitals accepting Medicaid ask patients whether they are U.S. citizens or legally in the country. Hospitals are also required to submit reports of responses to the state. Attention, interesting moment! The request must be followed by a statement that the response will not affect patient care or result in a report to immigration authorities. DeSantis used the unfortunate story of Florida Representative Kiyan Michael of Jacksonville. Her son, Brandon, died in a car accident on August 15, 2007, after he was hit by a twice-deported immigrant without a driver's license who was driving to get paint for work. While the story is certainly horrific, it is difficult to see how questioning immigration status at the hospital will help prevent future tragedies.
A 1986 federal law states that almost all hospitals must treat and stabilize anyone who seeks care. Laws like Florida's new one "should be avoided" because they interfere with health care providers' core duties to help, not harm, patients, according to the American Medical Association. Crowded emergency departments are the most expensive places to seek medical care; however, undocumented and uninsured immigrants are simply left with no choice or opportunity for alternatives. Many do not go to their local doctor, who can provide patients with better preventive care. The new law will result in many undocumented immigrants having no choice but to show up in the emergency room in the middle of a heart attack, or at the very end of a difficult pregnancy (which would result in the birth of an American citizen). It has long been known that the worse you feel when you go to hospital, the longer you will stay there, the more care you will need and the higher the cost to the hospital. These costs, in turn, are passed on to all patients, often through higher insurance premiums and taxes. This, again, will be felt at the local hospital level, where funding for treatment will come either through increased taxes, reduced services, or reduced access to care. In the long term, without adequate access to preventive and primary health care, per capita costs will increase dramatically over time. Consequently, what DeSantis claims is an attempt to make health care easier for undocumented immigrants will backfire when hospitals are required by law to treat them anyway. The legislation would push vulnerable undocumented immigrants away from health care services and burden hospital workers with reporting tasks unrelated to their responsibility to treat people. This is not just dangerous policy, it is bad policy - morally and financially.
Author: Elina Linderman
