© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Georgetown Researcher Says Florida Uninsured Could Approach 2 Million

Experts are warning the ranks of the uninsured in Florida could skyrocket if the Legislature and the U.S. Supreme Court create the perfect storm.

An Urban Institute study conducted two weeks ago predicts 1.3 million Floridians could lose health insurance if the U.S. Supreme Court sides with opponents of the Affordable Care Act in a pending law suit.

And Georgetown University researcher Joan Alker says that figure could double if the Legislature continues to refuse to expand Medicaid.

“And that same study finds that without Medicaid expansion in Florida, 750,000 more people will be uninsured, so that’s almost a combined 2 million people, it’s 1.822 million people that will be uninsured.”

Florida has the highest participation rate under the Affordable Care Act, according to federal figures. Observers expect the Supreme Court to rule by June 29.

A Miami native, former WFSU reporter Jim Ash is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.