An annual report shows Florida with worsening health indicators, particularly in access to care and preventable hospitalizations. While there are some highlights for the state, health experts say improvements are needed. Comments from Dr. Frederick Anderson, Miami-based family physician; Alison Yager, executive director, Florida Health Justice Project; and Rhonda Randall, chief medical officer, UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual.
Florida has dropped to the 31st position among states in national health rankings. It’s a decline from last year’s 27th spot. Local public health experts say more resources could help them address some of the gaps. The rankings are from an annual United Health Foundation report, which indicates strengths for Florida’s low prevalence of cigarette smoking and dirinking. But the Sunshine State ranks 44th in the nation for public health funding and 43rd in people avoiding medical care due to cost. Dr. Frederick Anderson is a family physician in Miami.
“Being sick or not well is very expensive, especially if you’re low-income and uninsured, you can imagine having to go to an emergency room for care. There’s a reason why people are smart and they try to avoid going to the emergency room if they are sick, because they can get hit with thousands of dollars of medical bills.”
According to the report, about 13-percent of Floridians avoid medical care because of the expense, exceeding the national rate of 10-percent. Governor Ron DeSantis’ health budget proposal, revealed earlier this month, includes an increase in funding for children’s health care, but no overall Medicaid expansion or lower-income residents.
And avoiding needed medical care comes at a risk. On a national scale, UnitedHealthcare’s Rhonda Randall says they’re seeing concerning trends for chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.
“This is something that we have been concerned about for quite some time. And when we looked at the data in this year’s report, it’s really unfortunate to see that the number of adults living with chronic conditions in the United States is the highest we’ve seen it.”
Florida ranks 26th in the nation for the percentage of adults with multiple chronic conditions. Randall notes this trend comes amid a decline in licensed primary caregivers nationwide.
Florida’s uninsured rate is high, at 11-percent, compared to the national average of 8-percent, contributing to its 46th-place ranking in this category. Alison Yager with the Florida Health Justice Project believes that’s because Florida is one of the ten states that has opted out of expanding Medicaid.
“By continuing to play politics with the Medicaid program, our state politicians have really done a disservice to our residents by closing off access to coverage for far too many Floridians.”
With the exception of expanding Medi-caid, DeSantis highlighted more than 46-billion in healthcare funding in next year’s budget, including money for cancer research, Alzheimer’s programs, child welfare, waivers for Floridians with disabilities and initiatives for the elderly. However, the report shows mental healthcare access remains a challenge, with the state ranking 43rd.
