The Just Health Care committee believes that healthcare is a human right. It should be affordable and accessible to all. We have generally been working for improved Medicare for All, but our immediate goal is for expansion of Medicaid in Florida.
In Florida currently, the conditions for receiving Medicaid health insurance coverage are extremely stringent. You have to be a parent and have income of less than 34% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $7,000 for a family of three). Under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) the federal government will cover 90% of the cost of expanding coverage to all residents who earn up to 138% of the FPL, about ($29,000 for a family of three) whether or not they are parents.
Whether it’s due to malice or ignorance, the Florida legislature has refused to accept these funds.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic over 800,000 Floridians had no health insurance. Now the need is even greater as thousands of others have lost their jobs and have thus lost the health insurance which used to be connected to their employment. In 2022-2023, an estimated 964,000 extra people in Florida could have been eligible for Medicaid in 2022-23. As of May 2024, 40 states and D.C. have opted in to this expansion.
The ACLC is working with Florida Decides Healthcare, a statewide coalition, to pass a constitutional amendment in the State of Florida that would force our government to opt-in to federal Medicaid expansion. This means that before our deadline in 2026, we need to gather close to a million signatures from Floridians so that we can all have an opportunity to vote on Medicaid expansion on the 2026 November ballot.
The ACLC is not only a partner in this effort, but the regional hub. We are seeking volunteers to contact local groups to educate members about the benefits of expansion, and to collect signatures. We are looking for people who are knowledgable about social media, willing to speak or write on the issue, or just want to help. Our main priority in 2024 is to collect petitions and spread awareness.
For more information or to volunteer contact Alex Hood at assistantcoordinator@laborcoalition.org. If you have completed petitions, you can drop those petitions off in the dropbox on the door of our office at 235 S Main ST from 9-5 M-F. Alex is also in the office from 9-12 on Mondays if you want to discuss any Medicaid expansion activities in person.