Health Care

Healthcare access in Florida can be a challenge. Here are some trends to watch

Stories by Miami Herald journalists, with AI summarization

Healthcare issues in South Florida touch on access, insurance and hospitals.

In South Florida, heart disease rates are expected to increase, prompting Jackson South Hospital to expand cardiac care services to meet growing demand and address accessibility challenges.

Insurers often deny treatments, leaving patients in grueling battles for approval. And flood risks pose threats to hospitals, with over 170 at high risk.

Catch up with the coverage below.

Los estados enfrentan espinosos desafíos: asegurarse de no eliminar a personas que todavía califican, y conectar al resto con otras coberturas. By Dreamstime

NO. 1: HOW ARE HISPANIC PATIENTS USING MEDICAID? HERE ARE FIVE ISSUES THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Experts analyzed the myths. | Published March 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Paula Andalo / KFF Health News Isabel Rubio / Factchequeado

Eric and Rebecca Tennant of Bridgeport, West Virginia, fought for months to get Eric’s cancer treatment approved by his insurer. When West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency eventually decided to reverse the denial in May, Eric had become too sick for the procedure.

NO. 2: ‘NOT ACCOUNTABLE TO ANYONE.’ INSURERS ISSUE DENIALS, PATIENTS RUN OUT OF OPTIONS

How people are navigating the healthcare system. | Published June 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Lauren Sausser

Jackson South Medical Center, 9333 SW 152nd St, in south Miami-Dade has recently renovated its catherization lab as part of a plan to provide new and expanded cardiac care. By Michelle Marchante

NO. 3: HEART DISEASE FORECAST TO RISE IN SOUTH FLORIDA. HERE’S WHAT ONE HOSPITAL IS DOING

Inside the new lab, doctors will use tech that will let them reconstruct 3D models of a patient’s cardiovascular system. | Published July 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

People shopping for a plan may need advice.

NO. 4: HOW DO YOU FIND HEALTH INSURANCE WHEN YOU’RE TURNING 26? HERE’S SOME ADVICE

It was supposed to be easier than this. | Published August 12, 2025 | Read Full Story by Elisabeth Rosenthal

Open enrollment for ACA plans has been shortened to 45 days, and people in rural areas could have particular difficulty signing up. (Dreamstime)

NO. 5: FIGHTING A HEALTH INSURANCE DENIAL? HERE ARE 7 TIPS TO HELP

When Sally Nix found out that her health insurance company wouldn’t pay for an expensive, doctor-recommended treatment to ease her neurological pain, she prepared for battle. | Published September 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Lauren Sausser

CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital in Charleston, West Virginia, is located on the banks of the Elk River. Extreme weather could cause the river to swell beyond its banks and surround the hospital, closing off all exits, according to a simulation of flooding data from the company Fathom. CAMC spokesperson Dale Witte said the hospital system has prepared by elevating electrical infrastructure and acquiring pumps. By Daniel Chang

NO. 6: AT LEAST 170 HOSPITALS FACE MAJOR FLOOD RISK. IS TRUMP MAKING IT WORSE?

When a big storm hits, Peninsula Hospital could be underwater. | Published October 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Holly K. Hacker and Brett Kelman and Daniel Chang

Florida Department of Health Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo gives his remarks during Governor Ron DeSantis’ press conference that mostly covered his administration’s Covid response back in 2020, legislation of the removal of fluoride in the State’s public water supply, and other new legislation banning human control over the weather on Tuesday August 6, 2025, in Miami, Florida. By Carl Juste

NO. 7: AT THE HOLLOW IN FLORIDA, THE ‘MEDICAL FREEDOM’ MOVEMENT FINDS ITS BASE CAMP

MAGA and MAHA are happily married in Florida, and nowhere more at home than in Sarasota County, where on a humid October night a crowd of several hundred gathered to honor state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, his wife, and an unlicensed Canadian radiologist who treats cancer with horse paste. | Published November 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Arthur Allen

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.