On May 10, 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed sweeping immigration legislation, including provisions that require some health care providers to identify patients’ immigration status.
SB 1718 requires hospitals that accept state and federal Medicaid reimbursements to include a question on intake forms asking patients if they are U.S. citizens or if they are lawfully present. According to the legislation, the form should inform patients that their answer does not affect patient care or result in a report to immigration authorities.
Further, the legislation requires hospitals to submit quarterly reports to the Agency for Health Care Administration with the immigration status information collected. The agency is required to send an annual report to the governor, Senate president, and House speaker with information on annual costs to treat patients that are not lawfully present.
The law took effect July 1, 2023.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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