Jim Saunders
Sep 14, 2023
With top Florida lawmakers signaling that health-care issues could be a priority during next year’s legislative session, a report released Thursday showed that Florida saw improvement in 2022 in people having health insurance — but still trailed most of the country.
With top Florida lawmakers signaling that health-care issues could be a priority during next year’s legislative session, a report released Thursday showed that Florida saw improvement in 2022 in people having health insurance — but still trailed most of the country.
The U.S. Census Bureau report estimated that 11.2 percent of Floridians were uninsured in 2022, down from 12.1 percent in 2021. The rates reflected insurance provided in employer-based plans and purchased privately, along with coverage through government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.
Only four states had higher uninsured rates than Florida in 2022: Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming, with Texas the highest at 16.6 percent, according to the report. The national rate in 2022 was 8 percent, down from 8.6 percent in 2021.
“States in the South had some of the highest uninsured rates, while states in the Northeast had some of the lowest uninsured rates,” the report said. “Of the 15 states that had uninsured rates above the national average, nine were in the South, ranging from 8.8 percent to 16.6 percent.”
The report came as Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, have indicated health care will be a focus of the 2024 legislative session, which will start in January.