A recording of the press conference described below can be found here.

*MIAMI, FL, February 25, 2025** - A coalition of Florida nonprofit organizations held a joint press conference today to sound the alarm about proposed federal budget cuts that would dramatically impact healthcare access for millions of vulnerable Floridians, and disproportionately affect Miami-Dade County residents. The proposed cuts to health programs, totaling at least $880 billion over ten years, are likely to fundamentally alter Medicaid, by imposing some form of federal spending cap. This level of health cuts would be the largest in US history. This would have a devastating impact on the Miami-Dade residents – seniors, kids, disabled individuals, and pregnant women– who depend on the program for essential services. 

More than one in four county residents (27.4 percent) rely on Medicaid for their healthcare needs. Currently, over 295,000 Miami-Dade children get their health coverage from Medicaid, over 218,000 county seniors aged 65 and older have Medicaid coverage, and just last month, over 18,000 pregnant and postpartum women were relying on Medicaid to access healthcare. 

"These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet – they represent real Florida families who could lose access to essential medical care," said Alison Yager, executive director of Florida Health Justice Project. "In Miami-Dade County, nearly three in five seniors rely on Medicaid. The proposed federal cuts would devastate our most vulnerable communities, and they would leave Florida completely exposed during future health or natural disaster emergencies or economic downturns, forcing the state to make impossible choices."

The proposed cuts would cause radical restructuring of the current Medicaid funding system, which currently guarantees coverage of 57 percent of Florida's Medicaid costs, with fixed limits on federal dollars that wouldn't adjust for growing health inflation or economic downturns.  Florida is one of the fastest growing states in the country, with disproportionate growth in the most medically expensive populations: the elderly and people with disabilities. With fixed dollars from the federal government, the state will be squeezed – forced to limit enrollment or cut eligibility or services. The costs don’t go away; they’re just shifted onto the state, the hospitals, the providers, and the residents.

“Many of the people I serve are hardworking families, seniors, and individuals navigating financial instability,” said Abraham Frometa, community health manager, at Catalyst Miami.  “For them, Medicaid isn’t just healthcare—it’s the difference between getting a check-up and letting an illness go untreated, between affording medication and risking serious complications. For the people we serve, Medicaid is more than a safety net—it’s a critical tool for health, financial stability, and community well-being. Losing Medicaid would be devastating. It would lead to more preventable illnesses, greater financial strain—including job and housing loss—and more people forced to go without the care they need.” 

Beyssa Buil, a Chaplain and lifelong resident of South Florida who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS) shared the crucial role Medicaid plays in the lives of people living with chronic illness: "Medicaid has given me access to care and treatment since having 25 lesions in my brain has often left me without vision and other devastating symptoms incapacitating me that require hospitalization."

“The families I provide care for can get regular checkups, treatment for chronic illnesses, and prescription drugs because of vital insurance programs like Medicaid and the insurance they buy themselves on the Marketplace every year with the help of tax credits,” said Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, M.D., M.P.H., a healthcare provider in Miami-Dade County. “These programs are essential to safeguarding South Florida families’ financial stability and well-being. They help my patients receive preventative care, which helps them stay out of the hospital for preventable causes. Stripping away health coverage will increase the likelihood of harmful health outcomes.”

The group emphasized that the proposed cuts would disproportionately affect children, who make up a significant portion of Florida's Medicaid recipients. "Approximately 40% of all Florida's children depend on Medicaid for their healthcare needs, and in Miami-Dade County alone, 41% of children rely on Medicaid or CHIP coverage," stated Leo Cuello, of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. "Risking their access to preventive care and essential medical services isn't just morally wrong – it's fiscally irresponsible and will cost us far more in the long run. Slashing federal Medicaid funding would also blow a hole in the state's budget, meaning the state will have to make cuts to all kinds of other priorities, such as education. Medicaid funding is important to children in so many ways."

"For 60 years, since 1965 when Medicaid and Medicare were established, Florida and the federal government have shared the cost of health care,” Cuello said. “This radical proposal would upend that 60-year partnership and walk back the federal government's commitment to the state. It is a terrible deal for Florida residents, and in particular Miami-Dade county."

The coalition is calling on Congress and our local representatives to reject the budget resolution advancing in the House, which calls for $880 billion in cuts to federal health programs over 10 years, severely rolling back Medicaid funding and Marketplace insurance tax credits.

Miami Dade County has more residents benefiting from ACA Marketplace tax credits, or Obamacare, than any other county in the nation. Almost one million residents receive health coverage from the Marketplace–close to two in five people. The Inflation Reduction Act extended critical tax credit enhancements that are set to expire at the end of 2025 if not renewed by Congress. The steep proposed cuts to healthcare programs puts this renewal in jeopardy. 

“Nowhere in the nation benefits more from the ACA Marketplace – Obamacare – than Miami Dade County,” said Holly Bullard, chief strategy and development officer at Florida Policy Institute. “If the expanded tax credits are allowed to expire, as would be likely if the House passes the budget resolution as written, then healthcare premiums are going to spike for over 934,000 Miami Dade residents, causing many to drop coverage and become uninsured. In Florida’ 26th Congressional District, for example, the annual premium for enrollees will rise by $456. Letting these enhancements expire would particularly devastate the health and financial stability for Miami Dade workers and families. ” For some demographics, the price increases will be even more dramatic. For example, a 60-year old Florida couple making $82,000 would see their premiums spike by $19,278 with the soon-to-expire enhancements. 

###

About Catalyst Miami

Founded in 1996 by Daniella Levine Cava, Catalyst Miami is a nonprofit that works to build power with frontline communities throughout Miami-Dade County to collectively advance justice and achieve shared prosperity. This is how we move toward our ultimate vision of a just society where everyone can lead healthy, prosperous, self-determined lives. Learn more about the organization at www.catalystmiami.org.

About Florida Health Justice Project

Florida Health Justice Project is a statewide non-partisan, non-profit legal organization that recognizes that access to quality and affordable health care is a human right and engages in comprehensive advocacy to expand health care access and promote health equity for vulnerable Floridians.

About Florida Policy Institute

FPI is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing state policies and budgets that improve the economic mobility and quality of life for all Floridians.

About UnidosUS

UnidosUS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves as the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Since 1968, we have challenged the social, economic, and political barriers that affect Latinos through our unique combination of expert research, advocacy, programs, and an Affiliate Network of more than 300 community-based organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico. We believe in an America where economic, political, and social progress is a reality for all Latinos, and we collaborate across communities to achieve it.

About Florida Voices for Health

Florida Voices for Health is a statewide health advocacy organization with the mission of improving access to care for those Floridians facing the highest disparities. We do this primarily through storytelling and direct advocacy with elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels.

Media Contacts: 
Aidil Oscariz, [email protected] or 786-530-9729