Sunshine state health care put on back burner

Florida gubernatorial campaigns show little interest, for now

Many Floridians are angry about the high cost of medicines and health treatments, so it’s no surprise the leading candidates for governor say they want to improve access to affordable health care.

But Democrat Jim Davis and Republican Charlie Crist have yet to put health issues at the top of their campaign agendas …

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Crist and Davis insist they are not ignoring the topics and point to their voting records and other actions in public office as proof they are concerned about consumer health costs and the high number of medically uninsured, an estimated 1-in-5 Floridians.

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Nationally, health costs have increased 10 percent each year from 1980 to 2004. In Florida, those price hikes are angering voters.

“This is a sleeping giant, a quiet 900-pound gorilla of an issue,” said Del Ali, president of Research 2000, which conducted a statewide poll for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Florida Times-Union. The poll found that one of every 10 likely voters surveyed between Sept. 18-20 consider health costs the most important issue facing Florida. Only public school funding, class size, the economy and affordability of homeowner’s insurance rated a slightly higher response.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel