Health insurance for Oscar Atwell, 60, and his wife has cost $1,800 a month since his COBRA benefits expired. His granddaughter, Natalie Holt, lives with them, along with her mother and brothers. Photo by Stephen Savage

Not enough doctors, hospital layoffs by the score, emergency rooms turning patients away—the sobering state of health care in Florida is a clarion call for national reform.

Florida ranks third in the nation in both the number and percentage of uninsured residents: 3.7 million or nearly 21 percent. Among those ages 50 to 64, nearly 18 percent were uninsured in 2007, according to a recent AARP research report.

AARP Florida leaders point to these statistics as they urge elected officials in Washington to tackle health reform now. More than 500 volunteers are making calls, writing letters and knocking on the doors of congressional offices while urging the state’s nearly 3 million members to get involved.

“This problem will continue to grow; we can’t put off fixing health care in Florida and this country,” said Doug Heinlen, AARP Florida state president.

The state’s primary help for uninsured Floridians between ages 19 and 64 who don’t qualify for Medicaid is the Cover Florida plan of privately administered “guaranteed issue policies.” The policies are not required to cover preexisting conditions for the first year. The state also allows insurers and other health care providers to offer flexible coverage plans without mandates to low-income residents.

Chris Riceman, who is now one of the uninsured, had worked as an accountant until she went on disability in 2007 when her multiple sclerosis worsened. After a year on long-term disability, she was terminated by her employer. Once her COBRA benefits expired in March, she looked into buying coverage and was flabbergasted, not just by the high premiums but by the coverage limits.

“The coverage offered doesn’t do you much good if you’re sick,” said Riceman, 45, an AARP volunteer from North Port. “One company’s prescription drug benefit had a $500-a-year limit. Just one of my medications costs $3,000 a month.”

Another AARP volunteer, Oscar Atwell, 60, in Pensacola, has not been able to find work since October.

Atwell’s COBRA benefits expired early this year. During the 18 months the computer programmer was on COBRA, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Now he’s weighing the insurance options available through Cover Florida. The most affordable policy to cover him and his wife will cost $1,800 a month.

“I’m one of the lucky ones,” Atwell said. “I can pay for the insurance. But I’m jeopardizing my future by using my savings.”

Two-thirds of AARP members surveyed for the report, “Health Care in Florida,” say the state’s health care system needs to be either fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt.

Although AARP Florida plans to continue trying to improve the Cover Florida program, Heinlen said, “this crisis can’t be fixed in one state, this really requires a national effort.”

AARP volunteers have a simple message from the organization to Florida’s congressional delegation, which consists of 15 Republicans and 10 Democrats in the House and one of each in the Senate: “It’s your turn—do it right.”

A small group of AARP Florida volunteers, including Atwell, met in the district offices with staffers for Rep. Jeff Miller, a Santa Rosa County Republican, and Sen. Mel Martinez to press the need for health care reform. They are hoping to meet with the lawmakers themselves when they return from Washington.

“I really wish they would take the time to sit down with us,” Atwell said. “I think we could bring them around to understanding how critical health care reform is to people.”

Riceman has called local legislative and congressional offices to urge health reform.

The outcry for relief is growing louder. The message seems to be resonating with Congress.

Martinez, the ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, noted that GOP leaders in the Senate have indicated their willingness to accept the Democrats’ timetable for debating health care reform.

“Working together, we can reduce the number of Americans who currently don’t have access to health care,” Martinez said.

Jeff Johnson, AARP Florida operations manager, said volunteers across the state are conducting meetings and talking with the congressional members and holding health care conversations in their communities.

“The cost of doing nothing is too high,” he said. “We can’t afford to wait.”

Carmel Perez Snyder is a freelance writer living in St. Petersburg, Fla.