By Trimmel Gomes, Florida News Connection
In Summary:
A new report from Protect Our Care finds Florida lost more than 311,000 insured residents over the past year, including nearly 197,000 people who lost Affordable Care Act coverage and about 115,000 removed from Medicaid. Health advocates say many uninsured Floridians are delaying care or relying on emergency rooms, shifting costs to hospitals and taxpayers. The findings come as supporters continue pushing a proposed 2028 ballot initiative to expand Medicaid in Florida.
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Florida’s federal health insurance marketplace is the largest in the nation, and the state is among those hit hardest by federal cuts, according to a new report from Protect Our Care.
The report finds more than 311,000 Floridians have lost health coverage in the past year, the second-largest raw loss in the nation.
Related: Florida Legislature discusses, but shoots down, Medicaid expansion.
Erica Monet Li, a health policy analyst at the Florida Policy Institute, said the cuts are affecting low-income families who already struggle to afford care.
“We have stories of individuals who are choosing to forgo care in the meantime, so that they can focus on paying for other things in their lives,” Li said. “These are choices that many Floridians are having to make across multiple races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.”
Nationally, 5 million Americans have lost coverage. In Florida, about 197,000 people have been removed from Affordable Care Act coverage, and nearly 115,000 are no longer insured by Medicaid.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has argued that Medicaid expansion is unnecessary, saying the state must “ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and that public programs serve the people they are intended to serve.”
Acadia Jacob, interim executive director at Florida Voices for Health, said that when people can’t afford insurance, they don't stop needing care — they shift the cost elsewhere.
“Folks who don’t have access to quality health insurance still need medical care and end up circling through our emergency rooms, ultimately relying on our tax dollars,” Jacob said.
Jacob estimates the cost of not expanding Medicaid at about $1.4 billion a year in uncompensated care. Data from the Agency for Health Care Administration puts the statewide total for uncompensated care at about $3.3 billion.
Florida is one of 10 states that have not expanded federal healthcare coverage. Jacob pointed to the Medicaid expansion ballot initiative, Florida Decides Healthcare, which aims to put the issue before voters in 2028.
Key Points:
- More than 311,000 Floridians lost health insurance coverage during the past year, according to Protect Our Care.
- Nearly 197,000 people lost Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, while approximately 115,000 lost Medicaid coverage.
- Advocates say uninsured residents are delaying medical treatment or relying on emergency departments for care.
- Florida remains one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
- Supporters are organizing a 2028 ballot initiative, Florida Decides Healthcare, to ask voters whether to expand Medicaid.
