Andrew Powell
Florida’s health care system has lost billions of dollars in federal funding after hundreds of thousands of residents were undercounted in the 2020 census, according to a new report.
The “Consequences of a Census Undercount on Florida’s Healthcare Funding” report by Florida TaxWatch outlines the impacts of census undercounting on the state’s health care funding, which had led to inaccuracies when planning services and allocating funding.
According to the report, Florida undercounted approximately 750,000 people in the 2020 census, which significantly affects the state’s federal funding of various health care programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The financial consequences of undercounting have caused Florida to lose federal funding that will range from $11 billion to $21 billion by 2030 and also resulted in Florida losing one or two congressional seats.
Michael Nachef, VP of Government Relations at Lee Health, told Florida TaxWatch in a statement that it is important for health care providers and programs to have accurate and clear data in order to provide services to over 3 million patients per year.
“Demographic data is used to determine if building new programs, facilities, or services is necessary and prudent. Prices in healthcare are set by government payers and costs are often fixed based on regulatory requirements,” Nachef said. “The result of these market pressures is that we must have exceedingly clear data to operate a large healthcare delivery system that employs 16,000 individuals and treats nearly 3 million patient contacts each year.”
Population projections created by the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) and the Bureau of Economic and Business Research are based on latest census data and are used in decision making for health care policies, identifying population needs, insurance coverage, income levels and service delivery methods.
EDR projections also influence the number of health care providers in various service areas. Inaccurate population counts can lead to expensive expansions that are unable to keep up with demand, while causing gaps in health care services for specific groups like childbearing women and the elderly.
The report notes undercounting affects the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage calculation, which puts Florida in a position to lose $2.3 billion in Medicaid funding for Fiscal Year 2024-25, and it is estimated similar losses could recur each year.
Florida TaxWatch urges actions be taken to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2030 census, these include encouraging community involvement and investing in grassroot efforts to support census participation.
