Jason’s Health Policy
Florida is one of the worst states in the nation for healthcare access and affordability and currently has the sixth highest uninsured rate. This situation has deteriorated under our current state leadership and is particularly acute in our rural communities. Rural Florida has 3.5 Primary Care Physicians per 10,000 people versus 7.3 per 10,000 in metro areas, and only 1.6 dentists per 10,000 people compared with 4.3 per 10,000 in urban areas. Rural Florida also has higher rates of uninsured than the state as a whole. Seven rural hospitals in Florida have closed since 2005, 5 of those just since 2017, and 3 hospitals just in 2020 (e.g., Lake Shore Hospital in Columbia County).
We must do better.
Ensure access to comprehensive, affordable health care for all
For over a decade, the Florida legislature has refused to accept billions of federal Medicaid expansion dollars that would offer over a million Floridians access to comprehensive health care. They have developed a litany of rationales for not accepting the funds, but the reality is it is based on the attitude that people who can’t afford insurance don’t deserve it.
Working people are doing the best they can and yet many people cannot find affordable insurance. Many people who can work can’t get enough hours to qualify for insurance, are self-employed, or work for small employers who do not offer it. Others can’t work because they are taking care of family members or going to school. We know that many people who would like to work just aren’t healthy enough to find and keep a full-time job that offers health insurance. We also need to explore ways we can help the adults who are losing their marketplace plans due to premiums that have risen dramatically. Medicaid Expansion would bring in billions of our federal tax dollars that would increase well-paying jobs throughout the state and contribute to the sustainability of local hospitals and other health facilities.
People who have access to healthcare are healthier, live longer and are better able to look for and keep a job. People who have a regular doctor are less likely to use the emergency room or end up in the hospital. The use of cost effective primary and preventive care prevents people from accruing medical debt and supports a sustainable health care system. People who have access to behavioral health care can overcome addiction and mental health issues. When all individuals have access to affordable care, individuals, families and communities thrive. Currently, the loss of productivity and increase in medical costs from poor health has resulted in increased costs that are being borne even by insured Floridians.
Jason grew up in a single-parent, working family household where healthcare was not always easy to come by. He has witnessed firsthand the difference that access to quality healthcare can make in people's lives.
Fund needed services by identifying, integrating and expanding all available resources
Health care is expensive. Florida must do better in its Medicaid reimbursement rates for medical and dental services. We currently rank in the bottom of the nation for these rates and it is systematically defunding our healthcare infrastructure where it is needed the most.
We also need to take advantage of federal, local, private and volunteer resources to make it affordable. Depending on the community and applicable opportunities, we would seek sources of funding such as a surtax for indigent medical care, application for federal health clinics, grants, and private foundations. We would also explore expanding care by leveraging the designation of health professional shortage areas in some counties to recruit service providers. Some counties may be able to develop volunteer networks such as the WeCare program. Use of mobile clinics and telehealth are tactics which would allow our rural areas to take advantage of the medical expertise available in nearby urban areas like Jacksonville and Gainesville.
Another tactic that would expand access to affordable care is expanding the scope of practice of professionals such as advanced nurse practitioners and pharmacists. The legislature also needs to approve the establishment of dental therapists which would expand affordable oral health care.
Jason’s opponent has accepted tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions from private healthcare interests. This is a blatant conflict of interest. Jason will represent the best interests of Florida families, not big business.
Optimum health requires more than health care
Health care is necessary but not sufficient to ensure optimum health. Health is influenced by other factors such as health-related behaviors, environmental influences, as well as social and economic factors. To achieve the fullest expression of health, the legislature should fund local health departments to offer educational programs to encourage improved health-related behaviors such as tobacco cessation, exercise, and nutrition. We also need to ensure sources of high-quality food are available and affordable to all.
Legislators need to create access to paid family and medical leave for working families throughout Florida. We also need policies that support living wages, quality education, and affordable housing that includes walkable areas, clean water and air. Improving the quality of life for our communities will contribute to good physical and mental health.
Unlike his opponent, Jason will not take big checks from the tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana industries and will hold them accountable for their impacts on public health.
Public health policy must be based on science and economically sound decision making
Science serves as the foundation upon which public health practice is built. It provides the evidence to understand how diseases spread, what conditions are detrimental to health and which interventions work. The Florida Department of Health has promoted policies that ignore science and will make Floridians less healthy. The Legislature has made decisions related to health that do not make good scientific or economic sense.
In 2025 the state passed a law that made fluoridation of municipal water systems illegal. This decision was another example of state overreach and was not supported by science. The attitude of the Florida Department of Health, supported by the legislature, toward immunizations is based on fear and disinformation. The relaxing of requirements for immunizations will result in avoidable illness, hospitalizations and death among our children and education professionals. Children who lose significant school days due to illness are less successful as adults.
Jason has a background in and respect for science and believes that we can find a balance between informed decision-making and individual freedom.