A coalition of groups that push for health care equity has begun to gather petition signatures supporting a Florida constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid.
Florida Decides Healthcare needs roughly 1 million signatures to get its proposal on the ballot in Florida in 2026.
The proposal would expand Medicaid access to adults earning at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, or an income of $20,120 a year for one person.
Florida is one of 10 states where the Affordable Care Act's expansion of Medicaid for low-income adults has not been implemented.
Medicaid is a state–federal partnership administered by the states. Florida Republican leaders have long rejected expanding eligibility, pointing in part to concerns about potential future costs.
Dr. David Woolsey, an emergency physician at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said he supports the amendment proposal.
"We serve many of the 1.4 million Floridians who would benefit from Medicaid expansion," Woolsey said. "When we bring Medicaid expansion we can change the lives of these 1.4 million Floridians."
Woolsey said insured people get regular preventive checkups or care for chronic conditions and avoid expensive emergency room visits.
