Florida: Here's When Hospitals Will Start Asking About Your Immigration Status

Ron DeSantis's controversial Florida immigration bill will finally take effect soon, and the hospitals in the Sunshine State will be required to check the citizenship of those they are treating. This would have some very significant effects on the state's significant immigrant population.

The new law will require hospitals in the state to begin collecting data on patients' immigration status, in addition to requiring employers also to check the immigration status of their employees.

The healthcare part of the bill, SB 1718, is one of the most criticized parts of the new law, as healthcare experts warn that this could deter sick people from seeking needed care. Many call the law harsh and draconian and a political stunt aimed to boost DeSantis's popularity among white conservatives.

The law is set to take effect on July 1, and according to Yahoo! News, when that day comes, hospitals that accept Medicaid not only have to ask about a patient's immigrant status but also de-identify this data and submit quarterly reports to the Agency for Healthcare Administration. The agency is the one tasked to calculate the state's annual cost of uncompensated care for undocumented immigrants.

The new Florida immigration law signed by Ron DeSantis had been heavily criticized by immigration advocates, healthcare professionals, and human rights defenders. They argue that the state is deterring people from much-needed care and could increase healthcare costs.

"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," read a joint statement from 80 healthcare providers in Florida. "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."

Florida hospitals and clinics are facing widespread understaffing, with medical professionals in the state facing burnout. Healthcare professionals warn that the new law's administrative requirements will exacerbate that.

How the New Florida Immigration Law Will Affect Non-Immigrants

It is not just healthcare professionals who will be affected, as the new law is already causing worker shortages across the state. This means that ordinary people will also feel the Ron DeSantis-backed law affects them.

Miami-Dade Democratic state Rep. Dotie Joseph warned, "Floridians will see higher costs for our groceries due to worker shortages, longer waits at restaurants, struggles to keep employees, less housing options as construction workforces flee Florida, and it will be harder to find people to care for our children and our aging population."

Florida businesses that employ over 20 people must now use the E-Verify system to check the legal status of their workforce, according to the Florida Phoenix. This has so far led to farms and construction sites going empty as immigrant workers flee the state, thus creating a labor crisis.

Florida Agricultural Workers Bracing for Changes Due to New Ron DeSantis Law

Immigrant workers are mostly employed in Florida as cheap labor. Many of them are working in agriculture. However, with the new Florida immigration law, one worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to NBC News admitted that she is worried.

"I would like to stay in Florida, but the work situation is going to become very demanding," admitted the worker, who said she is originally from El Salvador. She says her husband lacks legal documentation, and she is worried about him.

Workers leaving has also hit Homestead, Florida, one of the state's biggest agricultural producers. Many of the workers have already left the state as they are scared of being deported.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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