Could lower property taxes come at a cost to children’s healthcare?
WUSF |
By
Ana Lizama
Published August 2, 2026 at 5:04 AM EDT
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On “Florida Matters Live & Local,” Mary Mayhew talked about the effects that property tax cuts may have on children’s healthcare and Medicaid
In November, Florida voters will decide whether to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would reduce property taxes for homeowners across the state
If approved, the measure would increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $250,000. Homeowners who purchase a property after December 2026 would also receive a $50,000 homestead exemption each year for four years before becoming eligible for the full exemption
As the proposed amendment heads to the ballot, some Floridians are questioning how a reduction in property tax revenue could affect public services, including children’s healthcare
More than 4 million Floridians, about 17% of the state’s population, were enrolled in Medicaid in 2025
Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, told Matthew Peddie during an interview for Florida Matters Live & Local that about 2 million of those enrollees are children
“The primary focus in terms of enrollees are the state’s children, and so the impact to the ability to support that Medicaid funding could directly impact and have consequences for investments in children’s healthcare services,” Mayhew said
Mayhew said hospitals rely heavily on supplemental Medicaid funding to help cover the cost of care. According to STAT, Florida received nearly $8 billion in supplemental Medicaid funding in 2025 to help hospitals provide care to patients
“Particularly when we look at our public hospitals, you’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars that may no longer be available to those hospitals to continue to support clinics,” Mayhew added
Beyond the financial impact, Mayhew said she believes one of the biggest challenges surrounding the proposed amendment is ensuring voters understand its potential long-term effects. While local governments spend months analyzing the fiscal consequences of tax proposals, she said ballot initiatives don’t give voters much time to assess them
“Ballot initiatives, in the way in which they are written, can vary. It can be a very narrow characterization,” Mayhaw said. “Who doesn’t want to see their taxes reduced? That’s the difficulty of the educational campaign.”
Mayhew said voters should consider not only the potential tax savings but also how reduced local revenue could affect services in their communities and the decisions local officials may have to make if funding declines
“These types of reductions could really threaten not just what we have today for healthcare, but our ability to continue to invest, to recruit the best and the brightest pediatricians,” Mayhew said. “We don’t want them to have to travel to another state to get that care.”
While the proposed amendment promises tax relief for many homeowners, its broader impact on local government funding and essential services will remain a central part of the conversation leading up to the November election
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Matthew Peddie for “Florida Matters Live & Local.” You can listen to the full interview with Andrew Spar and Christine Longhere
