JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Your taxpayer dollars are being used to cover unpaid medical bills for undocumented immigrants in Florida.
That is according to a new state report, which shows those individuals racked up nearly $660 million in healthcare costs last year alone.
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The report from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration said those costs are being passed along either directly or indirectly, to taxpayers, patients, and insurers.
Duval County’s tab of unpaid hospital bills came to about $34 million.
That is among 14 different hospitals in the area, and it accounts for both admissions and emergency room visits.
The cost of care from illegal immigrants is a direct contributor to the strain on Florida’s health care system, according to the report.
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It also said operating costs will rise because more nurses, hospital beds, and equipment are needed.
State Representative Dean Black (R-Jacksonville) said increased utilization of services plays a significant role in that strain.
“Most people, when they go to an emergency room, you know, there’s quite a wait,” Black said. “Well, one of the reasons that the wait is so long is because we have so many illegal immigrants flocking to those emergency rooms. You have to wait on that care. And then, generally, you also end up having to pay for it.”
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Action News Jax sat down with an undocumented man. He wanted to remain anonymous and spoke to us in Spanish. We used a translator.
“I wouldn’t want to go to the hospital,” he said.
He told Action News Jax he has tried to get access to health care, and it’s been a challenge.
“It is expensive,” he said. “The ambulance costs $600 to $800.”
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And without insurance, he said, it is all out-of-pocket costs.
It’s something, Wendy, a member of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, is pushing to get changed.
“People come to me letting me know how difficult it is to find health care, a provider, and the costs, it’s mainly the costs,” Wendy said. “It makes me angry that those are human beings, and people are being treated inhumanely.”
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Black is hopeful that the immigration enforcement within the state will help prevent this from happening in the future.
“They shouldn’t be here,” Black said. “We should do everything in our power to make sure that people who are here because they broke the law by getting here in the first place are removed.”
An interactive summary of the AHCA dashboard can be found on the Agency’s webpage by clicking here.
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