Indigent Health Care

In 1977, the Florida Legislature declared that it was inequitable for hospitals and taxpayers of one county to be expected to subsidize the care of out-of-county indigent persons. In order to assure that adequate and affordable health care is available to all Floridians, the Health Care Responsibility Act (HCRA) was enacted. The Act places the ultimate financial obligation for an indigent patient’s out-of-county emergency care on the county in which the indigent patient resides. Additionally, there are several counties around the state that have health care programs for indigent residents who do not qualify for other coverage. This section includes information on HCRA and various other state, federal and county indigent health care programs.