Fact Check: Where candidates Ashley Moody and Angie Nixon stand on healthcare

The cost of living is top of mind for Floridians this election season, and many are particularly concerned about how they’ll afford healthcare. The Sunshine State has more people buying insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace than any other state, and its candidates for U.S. Senate offer very different plans for what to do about healthcare costs.

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About 440,000 Floridians dropped their ACA plans this year after enhanced federal subsidies expired, the largest decline in the country. Democrat Angie Nixon is running on Medicare for All, arguing it’s the most cost-effective option, while Republican Sen. Ashley Moody is focused on reducing fraud in Medicaid.

Issue: Healthcare

Ashley Moody, incumbent, Republican nominee

Moody has not released a sweeping healthcare plan. Her legislative activity indicates she aims to reduce healthcare costs by limiting fraud, lowering prescription-drug prices through competition and scrutinizing hospital billing. She introduced legislation expanding state Medicaid fraud units’ authority to investigate fraud, proposed tougher penalties for healthcare fraud and introduced a bill to speed approval of lower-cost biosimilar drugs. She has also asked the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate hospital billing practices tied to medical debt.

On coverage, Moody voted against advancing a three-year extension of the enhanced ACA premium tax credits and voted for the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that law will reduce federal Medicaid spending by about $911 billion over 10 years.

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Angie Nixon, Democratic nominee

Nixon’s plan to bring down healthcare costs is Medicare for All — one public plan covering every American with no premiums, deductibles or copays. It would include dental, vision, mental healthcare and prescription drugs.

Nixon says she would pursue the overhaul incrementally. Her first step would be legislation restoring the enhanced ACA premium subsidies that expired at the end of 2025; she has also said she wants to repeal the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut into Medicaid spending. To pay for her vision, Nixon supports levying an annual wealth tax on billionaires and shifting federal spending away from “war and violence overseas.”

This story was produced with financial support from supporters including The Green Family Foundation Trust and Ken O’Keefe, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.

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This story was originally published September 30, 2026 at 4:22 PM.