Florida On Top

By Dian Vujovich

No doubt about it, Palm Beach is one of the prettiest places on Earth. Anyone who doesn’t think so might want to get on down to the beach one morning to watch the sun rise. That daily event will positively rearrange every molecule in your body. Honest.

Speaking of bodies, aside from that good wake-up feeling, the state of health care in the State of Florida isn’t so hot. Not so hot as in we rank right up there –either on or near the top–when our health services, care and our citizens’ individual health is compared with those living in the other 49 states.

Based upon data in a FloridaTrend.com story today, here are some not-so-sunny facts:

•Patients in Florida spend an average of 4 hours and 26 minutes in emergency departments of our hospital before either moving on or out. The national average is 4 hours and 3 minutes.

That said, folks in the Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-Pompano Beach area “led the nation in the level of emergency room satisfaction in 2008,” according to the piece.

•7.1 percent of us didn’t seek health care in 2005-2006 for cost reasons. Around the nation, 5.5 percent didn’t either. Ten percent of us delayed care for the same reason; 7.7 percent nationally followed suite.

• Only New Mexico and Texas have more uninsured than Florida does. In Florida, 20.3 percent do not have health insurance. In New Mexico it’s 21 percent and Texas, 24.1 percent.

• In Florida, we have more babies born at low birth weights than in other states around the country and a higher infant death rate.

•Over 15 percent of our high school kids were at risk of being overweight in 2007.

•And we spend more on health care than other states. In 2004, the per capita amount spent nationwide on personal health care was $5,283. In the Sunshine State it was 200 bucks more, $5,483

Get more details and learn about some health care business opportunities at:
http://www.floridatrend.com/article.asp?aID=51627