Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is crediting his migration restrictions for cutting the state's Medicaid spending.
"We knew we'd get no support from the federal government, so we've had to do all these different things at the state level to be able to deter illegal immigration into our state," DeSantis said in a televised interview.
"We made sure when you have people show up at the hospital that we're asking about immigration status, and that's caused the Medicaid expenditures to plummet by 50%."
Florida since a May 2023 law that required hospitals to report healthcare costs for illegal migrants, and thus far this fiscal year Florida has seen a 50% drop ($67 million less than fiscal year 2022-2023's $159 million) in Florida's Emergency Medical Assistance spending, Politico reported.
Illegal migrants are not eligible for Medicaid benefits under federal law, but states are required to provide care in an emergency, suggesting the cost cut is a result of illegal migrants just not seeking emergency care in Florida because they know they would have to be recorded as an documented illegal immigrant now.
Florida has also rejected giving its state's driver licenses to illegal migrants from other states that give them to illegal migrants.
"So we've been able to do a lot on that to deter people from wanting to come," DeSantis added in the interview.