FL agency wants more than $500,000 to collect data on citizenship status of hospital patients

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration is asking for $558,000 for the next fiscal year to establish a system to collect data on the citizenship status of hospital patients. The Legislature would have to approve the money as part of the state budget.

Since the state’s new immigration law went into effect on July 1, hospitals that accept Medicaid must ask patients whether they are citizens of the United States. The law states that AHCA has to collect that data every quarter and submit a report to the governor, House speaker and Senate leader by March 1.

Even though hospitals must also tell patients that their response will not affect the type of care they receive and that their status will not be reported to immigration authorities, advocacy groups say the change has made immigrants in the state afraid to go to hospitals.

In fact, the groups have launched a “Decline to Answer” campaign to encourage people to not answer questions regarding their immigration status.