If the extra subsidies that help Americans pay for Obamacare insurance plans expire at the end of the year as expected, the most intense reverberations will be felt in South Florida, the country's top market for the coverage. As many as a third of the 4.7m Floridians on Affordable Care Act plans could drop them next year because of the higher costs. The state's demographics help explain its high demand for Obamacare: Florida is full of low-wage service and gig workers who cannot get insurance through their jobs and self-employed people. The biggest impact would be felt by older people at the lower edge of the middle class. Many people in their early 60s who earn around $65,000, for example, would experience a sharp increase in premiums " from a few hundred dollars a month to $1,000 or more.

Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL): "We are fighting to stop a huge healthcare hike of 75% or more for 271,000 Central Floridians on 1 Nov: Video Link. In 2023, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis declared that he had a plan that would "replace and supersede Biden's failing Obamacare," but this never materialized. On top of this potential super-spike in health insurance costs, Florida Power and Light (FPL) asked regulators for permission to hike Floridians' electric rates by billions of dollars over the next four years. FPL's proposed increase represents the largest rate hike request in US history. FPL CEO Armando Pimentel Jr's total 2024 compensation was $11.4 million. Is Florida the worst-run state in America? The Sunshine State leads the US in state executions, banned fluoride from public water, ending the vaccine mandate in schools, and has lax gun control laws. In an average year, 3,108 people die and 6,358 are wounded by firearms. Gun violence costs Florida $40.3 billion each year, of which $875.9 million is paid by taxpayers ($1,878 per resident each year). In Florida, 61% of gun deaths are suicides and 36% are homicides. This is compared to 56% and 40% nationwide, respectively. The Sunshine State has other problems as well, including water pollution, nuclear power plant safety, and the presence of notorious ICE gulags like "Alligator Alcatraz." Source: Florida Power Rates Going Up.