The Florida Department of Health is responsible for protecting the public health and safety of the residents and visitors of the state of Florida. It is a cabinet-level agency of the state government, headed by a state surgeon general who reports to the governor. The department has its headquarters in Tallahassee.

During the 1996 legislative session, the beleaguered Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services was reconstructed as two entities: the Department of Health and the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The Florida Department of Health operates county health departments in all 67 of the state's counties. The agency employs more than 17,000 people. It has worked on two-year-old immunizations, tobacco control, and statewide preparedness response efforts.

Medicare

Thirty-two insurance companies are offering Medicare Advantage plans in Florida.

Medicare Advantage plans are an alternative to original Medicare. They are plans offered by private insurance companies and include coverage for hospitalizations and doctor visits like original Medicare parts A & B. However, they also may cover outpatient care and prescription drugs. They might even include additional benefits such as dental, vision, hearing, short-term rehabilitation, ambulance services and other perks.

There are 4,867,207 people in Florida enrolled in Medicare.

In 2023 there are 627 Medicare Advantage plans available to residents of Florida, compared to 583 in 2022, for an increase of 7.5%.

The average premium for Florida Medicare Advantage plan enrollees in 2023 is $9.41, which is an increase of 6.2% compared to the 2022 premium price of $8.86.

100% of Florida residents live in a county where $0 premium plans are offered.

Of all the Medicare insurance plans available, as of 2024 many counties do not have prescription drug support that includes the number one pain medication Oxycontin.

Non-Medicare Insurance:

Silver plans are the most common health insurance selections for Americans choosing between Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans. Discover why, and if this level of plan will meet your needs, with HealthMarkets.

A silver level health plan is one of four categories, or “metal levels,” of health insurance marketplace plans. Silver plans fall in the middle when it comes to costs: moderate premiums and moderate out-of-pocket expenses. If you qualify for cost-sharing reductions (or “extra savings”), you can save on out-of-pocket expenses — such as deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance — if you pick a marketplace silver plan.

Silver plan insurance covers 10 essential health benefits, including, but not limited to prescription drugs, pediatric services, emergency services, hospitalization, and maternity care. In the silver metal level option, an insurance company covers 70% of health expenses, while you pay the other 30%.1

The Five States with Highest Annual Deductibles

     1.          Florida: $6,913

     2.          Indiana: $6,763

     3.          Ohio: $6,625

     4.          Georgia: $6,188

     5.          New Hampshire: $6,163

PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly)

The program replaces conventional Medicare and Medicaid plans to allow people who need nursing home care to stay in their homes.

Florida’s aging population is growing rapidly. Elder Floridians will account for most of Florida’s population growth, representing 55.2 percent of the gains in population

Recent estimates predict that Florida’s 65 and older population will represent 24.1 percent of Florida’s overall population by the year 2030. As Florida’s population continues to age, the elderly population will require vastly different and more costly forms of health care, such as long-term care for chronic conditions, more frequent examinations and follow-ups, and services and care for cognitive and mental impairments.

Despite the large elderly population, Florida lags in long-term services and support for the elderly, currently ranking 46th in the nation.

The average PACE cost for a person with Medicare but who is not eligible for Medicaid is $4,350 a month, plus $850 a month for the PACE Medicare Part D premium. That’s a total of $5,200 a month — or about $62,000 a year.