Thousands of Latinos could lose health coverage in Florida. Here's why

• More than 4 million Latinos are projected to lose their health insurance over the next ten years in the U.S., according to a new report.
• In Florida alone, more than half of those expected to go without coverage are Latino.

More than 4 million Latinos are projected to lose their health insurance over the next ten years in the U.S., according to a new report — In Florida alone, more than half of those expected to go without coverage are Latino.

That’s according to UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. The group's report, published in early May, states that the number of uninsured in the U.S. is expected to grow by 8.7 million people between just 2025 through 2028, citing projections from the Congressional Budget Office.

Meanwhile, over the next 10 years, an estimated 14 million U.S. residents will lose their insurance, with 4 million Latinos among them. The report points to cuts in federal support for Medicaid and Affordable Care Act insurance, which have totaled over $1 trillion.

Florida is the state with the second-highest number of Latinos that are likely to become uninsured, at 858,000. California leads with 917,000.

Even so, those estimates are based on the idea that “Medicaid beneficiaries of all races and ethnicities will be equally likely to lose coverage.” In fact, “Latinos and members of other historically marginalized communities are likely to experience much greater losses.”

“Unlike major coverage losses of the past, which resulted from recession-driven layoffs and terminations of employer-based coverage, today’s far larger coverage losses are entirely self-inflicted, resulting from policy choices made by Congress and the administration," said Stan Dorn, director of the Health Policy Project at UnidosUS.

Worries surrounding deportation are also having an effect, the report says. Between 2023 and 2025, the number of immigrant parents that said their families avoided public insurance programs out of fear almost doubled, from 11% to 18%.

Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.