The greatest health strengths and challenges in Florida

The recently released “America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report” uncovered several health strengths and challenges in Florida.

Jan. 4, 2023

Florida is ranked 27th in the country for overall health – an improvement from a ranking of 33 in 2019¹ – according to America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report. Below is a summary of the positive and negative factors that contributed to this ranking.²

Florida health strengths

Low racial disparity in premature death rates
High reading proficiency among fourth grade public school students
Low levels of air pollution
30% decrease in food insecurity from 14.1% to 9.9% of households between 2011-2013 and 2019-2021
13% decrease in suicide from 16 to 13.9 deaths per 100,000 population between 2018 and 2020

Florida health challenges

Low supply of mental health providers
High uninsured rate
High percentage of households experiencing severe housing problems
52% increase in drug deaths from 22.4 to 34 deaths per 100,000 population between 2018 and 2020

What this means for employers

Employers who do business or have employees living in the state of Florida may want to consider programs or benefits that can help support their employee population and guide them to better health decisions.

Learn more about the factors impacting the health of Florida.

The real people behind these numbers are what make the work ahead so critically important. Despite the challenges ahead, I remain optimistic that the health system can rise to the moment to address long-standing disparities and improve the health and well-being of all Americans, for this generation and the next.

— Patricia L. Lewis, Chief Sustainability Officer at UnitedHealth Group

View the Florida state summary (pdf)

Current broker or employer group client?

Access uhceservices to check commissions, manage eligibility, request ID cards and more.

Sign in