Before you start

Florida residence
Income information for subsidy eligibility
An SSN or ITIN for the marketplace application
A qualifying life event, if enrolling outside the annual open-enrolment window

Step-by-step

1
Enrol in your employer's plan within the new-hire window
Typically 30 days from your start date, and missing it can mean waiting for the next open enrolment. Compare the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, not just the premium.
Via employerWho: YouFirst 30 days of employment
2
Without an employer plan, use HealthCare.gov
Florida uses the federal marketplace rather than running its own exchange, so the federal open-enrolment calendar applies here — unlike Pennsylvania, Maryland or Kentucky. Moving to a new state is itself a qualifying life event that opens a special enrolment period, so you do not have to wait for the annual window.
OnlineWho: You
3
Check whether you fall in the coverage gap before assuming Medicaid
Florida did not expand Medicaid. Eligibility is essentially limited to children, pregnant women, some parents at very low income, the elderly and people with disabilities. A healthy adult on a low income here is usually eligible for neither Medicaid nor a marketplace subsidy if income is below the federal poverty level. Model your actual expected income before you decline employer cover.
OnlineWho: You
4
Choose the plan by hospital system, not only by premium
Broward Health covers the northern half of the county and Memorial Healthcare System the southern half, both as taxpayer-supported public districts, with Holy Cross and Cleveland Clinic Florida alongside. Networks are drawn along those lines. Check which system your nearest hospital and your preferred clinic belong to before enrolling — switching mid-year needs a qualifying life event.
OnlineWho: You
5
Register with a primary care physician in month one
Do it while you are well. An established relationship is what gets you referrals and urgent slots later, and confirming the practice is in your network before the first visit avoids an out-of-network bill for a routine appointment.
In personWho: YouMonth 1
6
Learn the urgent care versus emergency room distinction
An emergency room visit for something a clinic could treat can cost a great deal even when insured. Urgent care handles fractures, stitches and infections far more cheaply. Broward has both in quantity; the difference is which door you walk through.
In personWho: You
7
Know the public safety net if you are uninsured
Broward's two hospital districts are funded partly by local property taxes and run financial assistance programmes for county residents who cannot pay, and the county supports federally qualified health centres for primary care on a sliding scale. It is not insurance and it will not cover you outside the county, but it is a real floor and it is worth knowing exists before an emergency rather than during one.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of Florida residence
Income documentation for subsidies
SSN or ITIN
Immigration documents for marketplace eligibility categories
Evidence of losing prior coverage or of the move, for a special enrolment period

Things most newcomers don’t know

Florida has no Medicaid expansion, and that changes the arithmetic of moving here.

In an expansion state an adult earning below the subsidy floor is covered; in Florida they are generally in a gap with neither Medicaid nor a tax credit. For a newcomer whose first months are lean — a spouse not yet working, a contract that starts late — this is the most consequential difference between Florida and Pennsylvania, Maryland or Kentucky. Plan cover for the gap period deliberately.

Source: Florida Agency for Health Care Administration

Moving states is itself a qualifying life event.

You do not have to wait for the annual open-enrolment window. A permanent move to a new state opens a special enrolment period on HealthCare.gov, typically 60 days. People arriving in May routinely assume they are locked out until November and go uninsured for six months for no reason.

Source: HealthCare.gov

Broward's hospitals are taxpayer-funded districts, which is unusual.

Broward Health and Memorial Healthcare System are independent special districts supported partly by local property taxes, each covering roughly half the county. That funding is why both run substantial charity-care programmes for county residents — a genuine floor in a state without Medicaid expansion — and it is also why the north/south split shows up in insurance networks.

Source: community-reported

Hurricane season has a health dimension nobody plans for.

A named storm means pharmacies close, power fails for days and dialysis or oxygen supply becomes a logistical problem. Florida allows early prescription refills ahead of a declared emergency, and anyone with a medical dependency should register with the county's special-needs evacuation programme before June rather than during a warning.

Source: Florida Division of Emergency Management

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming Medicaid is available on a low income — Florida did not expand it.
Waiting for the annual open enrolment when your move already opened a special enrolment period.
Missing the 30-day new-hire enrolment window at a new employer.
Choosing a plan without checking whether your side of the county is Broward Health or Memorial.
Reaching hurricane season without registering a medical dependency with the county.
Not updating reported income after a raise, and owing the subsidy back at filing.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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