Floridians Face Health‑Care Loss as Election Looms
A surge in uninsured residents and rising premiums is turning health policy into a decisive issue in Florida’s November vote.
Premium shock hits ordinary Floridians
In January, an insurance agent called a registered nurse named Bianca to tell her that her health‑insurance premium had at least doubled. The 32‑year‑old, who asked NPR to withhold her last name, said she and her husband could not afford the new rate and cancelled a series of asthma and mental‑health appointments. Since then she has taken loans to cover an emergency‑room visit and pneumonia prescriptions.
Policy change fuels the surge
Bianca’s experience mirrors a broader trend. In December 2025 the Trump administration let expire the enhanced subsidies the Biden administration had added to Affordable Care Act coverage during the Covid‑19 pandemic. The Senate saw most Democrats vote to extend the subsidies and most Republicans oppose them. The lapse caused a nationwide premium spike, but Florida felt it acutely because 4.3 million residents were enrolled in ACA plans in 2025.
Bianca says she will vote for Democratic congressional nominee Pia Dandiya, who is running in Florida’s 22nd District. Dandiya, pictured in August on Marco Island, says she wants to “expand the Affordable Care Act,” bring back the subsidies, reverse Trump‑era Medicaid cuts, and lower drug prices. She told reporters in Wellington that “health care is not a blue issue or a red issue. It’s a red, white and blue issue.”
Her Republican opponent, Casey Askar, wants to eliminate the ACA entirely and crack down on fraud to protect Medicare and Medicaid. The campaign did not respond to interview requests.
Broader uninsured landscape
The district Dandiya and Askar contest stretches from the Everglades to Palm Beach County suburbs, but lack of coverage extends statewide. United Health data from 2024 indicates that more than 10 percent of Floridians are uninsured. The passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” tax cut and spending bill, which reduced ACA subsidies and federal Medicaid funding, further worsened the situation.
Personal stakes drive voter sentiment
Bianca summed up her view: Pia is trying to expand the Affordable Care Act, which I think is really important, especially for families like mine. As the November 3rd general election approaches, stories like Bianca’s suggest that health‑care policy could be a decisive factor for many Floridians heading to the polls.
