Recently, Florida and Texas passed laws requiring hospitals that receive Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program funds to collect information about patient immigration status, KFF reported Aug. 26.
Although hospitals are required to collect this status, federal law dictates that it is not allowed to affect that patient's care. In Florida, hospitals must also indicate that the response will not result in a report to immigration authorities. This requirement is not specified in Texas' law.
The new regulations, along with other restrictions for undocumented immigrants, could increase fears among immigrant families, which may make them reluctant to seek care. A Politico report indicated Florida's emergency Medicaid expenditures fell after the requirements were implemented because of a decreased use of care among undocumented immigrants, which could have negative health consequences. Some families may also move to other states to seek care. The American Medical Association recommended avoiding explicit documentation of immigration status of patients and their family members in a health record for these reasons, according to the news outlet.
KFF research found that noncitizen immigrants have higher uninsured rates but use fewer healthcare services and have lower per capita healthcare spending than citizens. Lower use among noncitizens could be explained by them being younger and healthier than their U.S.-born counterparts, as well as facing increased barriers to care access.
Florida released a public dashboard based on hospital reporting under the new requirement for June through December 2023. The report showed fewer than 1% of inpatient admissions and emergency department visits were among patients who were not citizens. About 7% to 8% of patients declined to provide responses and could include additional undocumented immigrants. The state is estimated to have provided care to undocumented immigrants over this period for a cost of $556 million, and it is unclear how much of that care was uncompensated, according to KFF.