COPD Sends Floridians to the Hospital More Than 90 Times a Day: State Lung Doctors Sound the Alarm

More than one million Floridians are living with COPD as doctors call for earlier diagnosis and an end to insurance barriers during COPD Awareness Month

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As November marks COPD Awareness Month, Florida physicians are sounding the alarm about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a disease that affects more than one million Floridians, led to nearly 35,000 hospitalizations across the state in 2025 and remains one of the most preventable causes of hospital stays.

"Florida has proven that we can keep people with COPD out of the hospital, but with more than 90 Floridians a day still landing in the hospital, that progress is far from finished," said Michael D. Schweitzer, MD, President of the Florida Thoracic Society and Co-Director of the Airway Disease Program at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville. "Every COPD flare-up causes permanent damage to the lungs and increases mortality. When patients wait on a prior authorization or are forced to fail on one inhaler before they can get the one their doctor prescribed based on current guidelines, they end up in the emergency room. Florida's pulmonologists are ready to work with policymakers to tear down those barriers."

COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, makes it harder to breathe over time and remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. According to the Florida Department of Health, 6.8% of Florida adults have been told they have COPD, and in 2025 the disease drove 34,634 hospitalizations and 125,843 emergency department visits. COPD was responsible for 10,735 deaths in Florida in 2021 and costs the state an estimated $2.5 billion a year, according to the American Lung Association. The state's age-adjusted COPD hospitalization rate has fallen nearly 60% since 2014, a sign that better care is making a difference.

"Too many of my patients are diagnosed only after they have already lost lung function they will never get back," said Jenna Gibilaro, MD, a board-certified pulmonologist, physician-owner of Sanford Pulmonary Specialists and Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the Florida Thoracic Society. "A simple breathing test can catch COPD early, and early treatment can keep people out of the hospital and living the lives they want."

COPD is not just a smoker's disease. One in four people with COPD never smoked. Veterans are significantly more likely than civilians to be diagnosed with COPD, a major concern in a state that is home to nearly 1.4 million veterans. And while Florida's 2019 firefighter law covers 21 cancers, COPD is not on the list.

The COPD Action Alliance and the Florida Thoracic Society are urging policymakers to cut prior authorization delays, build on Florida's 2022 step therapy reform law, protect coverage for pulmonary rehabilitation and oxygen, expand Medicaid coverage of tobacco cessation treatment and bring spirometry and specialist care to rural Floridians. Anyone with persistent coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath should ask a health care provider about spirometry, a simple breathing test that can detect COPD.

"More than one million Floridians are living with COPD, and they deserve a voice in the policy decisions that shape their care," said Sarah Hoffman, Director of the COPD Action Alliance. "Every denied claim, delayed referral and prior authorization form started as a policy decision, and policy can fix it. This COPD Awareness Month, we are calling on patients, caregivers and clinicians to share their stories and urge lawmakers in Tallahassee and Washington to end the insurance barriers that delay care and fully implement the COPD National Action Plan."

For more information about COPD and the COPD Action Alliance, visit
www.copdactionalliance.org.

About the COPD Action Alliance

The COPD Action Alliance brings together patients, health care providers, advocates and other stakeholders to elevate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as a national health priority and advance policies that improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for people living with COPD.

About the Florida Thoracic Society

The Florida Thoracic Society is an official chapter of the American Thoracic Society dedicated to advancing respiratory health across Florida. The society supports education, collaboration among health professionals, advocacy on behalf of Florida patients, and career development for respiratory health providers. Its membership is open to physicians, researchers, advanced practice providers, physician assistants, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, nurses and others committed to improving lung health in the state. Learn more at floridathoracic.org.

SOURCE COPD Action Alliance; Florida Thoracic Society