The Numbers Are In: DeSantis' Crackdown on Illegal Immigration in Florida Is Already Paying Off
By Jeff Charles | 5:47 PM on June 23, 2024
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Governor Ron DeSantis’ crackdown on illegal immigrants seems to be paying off in more ways than one, according to a recent report. The governor’s multi-pronged effort to reduce illegal immigration in Florida has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of taxpayer dollars going to fund healthcare for those residing in the country illegally.
The governor signed a law last year requiring hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask patients about their legal immigration status when they seek treatment. The legislation does not compel patients to answer the question, but immigrant rights groups argued that it would discourage them from receiving medical attention funded by the government. Still, supporters of the law argue that the numbers show it is a success:
Florida’s Emergency Medical Assistance program for undocumented immigrants has seen a 54 percent drop in expenditures billed to Medicaid this year — with less than two months remaining in the fiscal year — since the state immigration law took effect, according to a POLITICO analysis. Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition said while there is no concrete evidence that the drop in Medicaid spending is a result of the law, which took effect in July 2023. there have been other signs of fallout.
“Obviously, there’s been somewhat of an exodus of migrants in Florida,” Kennedy said. “When this was all going through — we had warned about the exacerbated work[force] shortages and the distressed industries — we said this would be a bad idea.”
https://redstate.com/jeffc/2024/06/2...g-off-n2175861
