Miami, Florida -- A report from the U.S. Census confirms that the citizens of Florida are lacking in health insurance coverage. About one in five people go without health insurance according to the report, and Florida is ranked the fourth worst in the nation in terms of the number of uninsured people.
"The number of the uninsured in Florida is on the rise and in particular, the areas of South Florida have unusually high rates of uninsured. In the Miami-Dade area, the uninsured account for 28.1 percent of the population, this is nearly twice the national average", said Moran Moran of Florida Health Insurance Web.
Most of those going without coverage these days are over the age of 18 and under the age of 64. Various state and federal programs are available to those under 18, and Medicare is available to those 65 and older. Right now, the largest category of the uninsured is Hispanic, which accounts for many of the uninsured in South Florida. In 2008, 30.7 percent of Hispanics were uninsured.
Certain areas of South Florida have changed from highly unionized jobs in manufacturing and the airline industry, but that has changed to a largely service-sector oriented businesses that do not typically offer miami health insurance benefits.
The Weston area of South Florida is doing rather well with only 3.8 percent of children without health care coverage. On the other end of the scale, a whopping 30.2 percent of children remain uninsured in the Pompano Beach area of South Florida.
When it comes to health care and children, government programs are the most likely solution. Experts say children on Medicaid tend to get the proper treatment, while those not on; Medicaid typically relies on emergency room visits for most of their primary health care issues. These emergency room visits are on the rise due to the current economic crisis.
Uninsured children that show up for treatment can be covered by Medicaid, but adults with no coverage have a harder time and much of their treatment goes unpaid. These unpaid medical treatments result in higher medical costs and insurance premiums. Perhaps a bigger problem is that the uninsured often will not even try to seek medical care.
"All of this of course leads to the ultimate debate about our current health care system and whether it should be replaced with a public option. Medical care costs are on the rise, which leads to more expensive insurance with less coverage, and this leads to fewer insured people as employers stop paying for health insurance. This countrywide dilemma is verified in the microcosm of South Florida every day", noted Morgan Moran.
Lawmakers in Florida have voiced concern for the number of uninsured, and U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton has expressed support for a new single-payer system for Americans, an opinion clearly inspired by the problems with uninsured people in South Florida.
Alternative ideas within the state call for more affordable private health insurance alternatives that would provide incentives to employers to provide coverage for their employees. Tort reform is another component of change proposed by Florida legislatures as an alternative to the public option.
