A growing concern for rural healthcare is the financial strain caused by providing medical services to undocumented migrants who cannot pay their bills, according to Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), the Republican vice presidential nominee. Vance’s comments have been met with criticism from multiple media outlets, which have inaccurately “fact-checked” his statements.
During a recent Trump campaign rally in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Vance discussed the plight of rural hospitals struggling to stay afloat due to the immense cost of caring for migrants. When asked about the closure of several hospitals and clinics in the area, Vance attributed the decline to the financial burden of providing healthcare to individuals who are not legally present in the country.
“We’re bankrupting a lot of hospitals by forcing these hospitals to provide care for people who don’t have the legal right to be in our country,” Vance said. He emphasized that the issue is deeply connected to immigration policy, particularly the “open borders” approach championed by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Vance pointed to the state of Florida, where lawmakers recently implemented Senate Bill 1718, requiring hospitals to report the amount of unpaid services they deliver to undocumented migrants. The legislation, signed into law in April by Gov. Ron DeSantis, aims to combat the financial strain on taxpayers caused by the high costs of providing care to those who cannot pay.
The data collected under SB 1718 paints a stark picture of the financial toll on Florida’s hospitals. According to the state’s reporting website, MyFlorida.com, some of the counties with the highest losses include Broward, with $43 million in unpaid medical expenses; Duval, with $31 million; Hillsborough, with $58 million; Orange, with $58 million; and Miami-Dade, with a staggering $232 million. The total estimated cost of caring for undocumented migrants in Florida has surpassed $566 million, and the figure continues to rise.
