TALLAHASSEE — On Feb. 12, Florida Decides Healthcare (FDH) announced that the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and the American Heart Association (AHA) are joining the FDH Executive Committee in support of the campaign to place Medicaid expansion on Florida’s 2028 ballot. As two of the nation’s leading patient advocacy organizations, ACS CAN and AHA bring decades of expertise in advancing policies that improve access to lifesaving care. Their addition to the Executive Committee strengthens the growing coalition determined to give Floridians the opportunity to vote on whether the state should expand Medicaid.

“We are thrilled to welcome the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Heart Association to our Medicaid expansion campaign,” said Mitch Emerson, Executive Director of Florida Decides Healthcare. “Together, we are building a powerful coalition committed to giving Floridians the choice to ensure access to lifesaving care. Every family deserves the security of affordable health coverage, and with these trusted patient advocacy leaders at our side, we are stronger than ever in our mission to put this decision directly in the hands of voters.”

“Access to comprehensive and affordable health care makes it easier to work, find a new job, and succeed in today’s economy. In addition, evidence shows that having health insurance is a determining factor for surviving cancer,” said Susan Harbin, ACS CAN Florida Senior Government Relations Director. “Sadly, families without health insurance are often forced to avoid necessary preventive care and timely cancer early detection screenings that we know can save lives and taxpayer dollars.”

“Too many Floridians with heart disease delay care or skip medications because they simply can’t afford them,” said Tiffany McCaskill Henderson, American Heart Association Florida Government Relations Director. “Expanding Medicaid would help close that gap, ensuring people can get the care they need before their condition becomes life-threatening and to support recovery following a heart attack or stroke. From both a medical and public health perspective, expanding Medicaid is a proven, cost-effective way to strengthen our healthcare system and improve heart health across the state.”

Why it matters: The health coverage provided through Medicaid reduces the burden of chronic, life-threatening illnesses like cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes by improving access to preventive services, screenings, early detection, and affordable treatment. The urgency for state action has only intensified following the passage of H.R. 1, last summer, which includes significant federal cuts to the Medicaid program. Combined with uncertainty around the extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that have helped millions afford Marketplace coverage, Florida faces the prospect of rising uninsured rates and escalating healthcare costs. If approved, Florida’s 2028 Medicaid expansion initiative would close the coverage gap and extend affordable health care to single adults earning up to $22,024.80 annually and up to $45,540.00 for a family of four. The proposed amendment by FDH would expand Medicaid eligibility to adults aged 18 to 64 whose incomes fall at or below 138% of the federal poverty level — a group that includes up to 3.7 million Floridians who earn too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance. 

Expansion would  provide critical support to rural communities that rely heavily on Medicaid funding. According to research from the Florida Policy Institute (October 2024) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Medicaid expansion could reduce rural hospital closures by as much as 62 percent, strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the state. At the same time FDH resumes signature gathering, the campaign’s legal challenge to HB 1205 is moving forward. On February 9, the long-awaited federal trial in Florida Decides Healthcare v. Cord Byrd began. The lawsuit seeks to overturn HB 1205 and restore Floridians’ access to their constitutional right to pursue citizen-led ballot initiatives without politically motivated barriers. 

Background: Florida Decides Healthcare resumed signature collection this month and working to collect the nearly one million signatures required to place the initiative on the 2028 ballot. If passed, the measure would extend affordable health coverage to more than 1.4 million Floridians who fall into the Medicaid coverage gap and currently lack access to affordable options. Florida remains one of just 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid.

Every year Florida refuses to expand Medicaid, the state turns away billions of dollars in federal funding that could be supporting local hospitals, creating healthcare jobs, and keeping families healthy. Instead, those dollars are sent to other states while Floridians face rising costs, hospital closures, and worsening access to care, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Polling continues to show that the public is firmly on the side of Medicaid expansion. A June 2025 GSG poll found that 67% of Floridians support a ballot question to expand Medicaid, including 87% of Democrats, 67% of independents, and a majority of Republicans. Similar Medicaid expansion measures have passed decisively in red states once voters were given the chance to decide for themselves.