STORIES
STORIES
Florida is one of just 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. As a result, older Floridians, parents and low wage workers, people struggling with illness and those impacted by COVID-19 job loss, go without critical health care. Even before the pandemic, more than 900,000 uninsured Floridians stood to gain health coverage with Medicaid expansion. With the pandemic, that number is now over 1.5 million.
Medicaid expansion is critical in remedying the structural racism at the root of persistent health disparities, including those disparities defining the pandemic.
The STORIES
Uninsured older Floridians who have not yet reached 65, the age of Medicare eligibility, feel they are barely “hanging on.” Florida, and the other 12 non-expansion states, may be the only places on the planet where older adults want to age faster!
Many working Floridians, including those with children, have no path to affordable coverage. Many are front-line and essential workers at nursing homes, hotels and restaurants. Without health insurance, they are unable to address critical health concerns, and often live in pain and fear.
See Florida Parents & Low-Wage Workers STORIES
Floridians with physical and mental illness face significant obstacles in accessing necessary and appropriate health care. In fact, well over half of adults with mental illness in Florida do not receive treatment. For many of these individuals, not having health insurance is the major barrier to care.
See Floridians Struggling With Physical & Mental Illness STORIES
As of May 2, 2020, over 740,000 Floridians lost their employer sponsored insurance due to the pandemic. The vast majority, almost 600,000 would be eligible for Medicaid if Florida joined 38 other states in providing coverage for low- income uninsured adults.
Over 1.5 million of our fellow Floridians could be on Medicaid. Instead, they face the additional horror of struggling through this crisis without healthcare coverage.
Join the fight by letting your voice be heard!
Contact us if you or a family member need health care and are:
Sharing your story --in your words and your voice-- is part of the solution. Together we'll make the case that it's time for everyone to have affordable health care.
The Florida Health Justice Project speaks with Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, a leading Miami physician, about the challenges faced by his many uninsured patients and the devastating impact of Florida’s failure to expand Medicaid.
Florida is one of only 14 states that have not expanded Medicaid. As a result, approximately 445,000 Floridians fall into the “Coverage Gap,” meaning they have no path to affordable coverage.
Florida's Health Care Coverage Gap
Florida's Health Care Coverage Gap
Follow Us On Twitter
Subscribe To STORIES
Make sure you always receive the latest STORIES
of Floridians who need the benefit of expanded health care coverage.
Support The STORIES Project
Your support will help us educate decision-makers, the media, and the public about the impact of health law and policy on individual Floridians and their families.
The Florida Health Justice Project, a nonprofit organization, recognizes that access to quality and affordable health care is a human right and engages in comprehensive advocacy to expand health care access and promote health equity for vulnerable Floridians.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL FREE WITHIN THE STATE AT 1-800-435-7352 . IT CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT WWW.800HELPFLA.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE STATE.