One of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most controversial immigration policies has led to women shunning mammograms and prenatal care out of fear that they’ll be forced to reveal their immigration status. At issue is a new Florida law requiring hospitals that receive Medicaid dollars to ask patients about their immigration status. Undocumented migrants in Florida are now steering clear of hospitals and clinics, worried that they’ll be arrested or deported, according to 10 immigration advocates, lawmakers and health care officials, Politico reports. Thelisha Thomas, executive director of the nonprofit Healthy Start Coalition in Orange County, said she’s seen fewer pregnant migrant women seeking treatment even in emergency situations — and at least a 10 percent overall decrease in the number of pregnancies the clinic directly oversees. One pregnant patient experiencing alarming pain nearly refused to go to an emergency room out of fear that she’d be arrested and deported, she said. A staffer at the clinic had to personally escort the patient to the hospital. “There has definitely been an uptick in the nervousness and apprehension that a lot of immigrants already had when they had to think about getting treatment,” Thomas said. “But I have faith that we will get through this.”
DeSantis’ law is even affecting clinics and organizations that don’t receive federal dollars, and the law applies to migrants even though they don’t receive Medicaid assistance. Officials with the Consulate of Mexico in Orlando, which for years has operated a program offering free health care to migrants from all over the world, said fewer migrant women have shown up for free medical check-ups and prenatal care since the law took effect in May. The number of patients accessing free mammograms services, for example, has dropped 18 percent, according to the consulate. While several states have cracked down on immigration in recent years — including a law in Texas that makes it a crime to enter the state illegally from a foreign country — Florida’s law is believed to be the only one in the nation that requires hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status. Undocumented immigrants in general aren’t eligible for federal health benefits, but some states access Medicaid dollars to help undocumented immigrants. Last year, California became the first state in the country to offer health insurance to undocumented immigrants through its Medi-Cal program, which is supported through state and federal taxes.
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