Why Retire to Florida if Colorado Ranks Higher for Senior Health?

The state of Florida catches a lot of attention, and rightly so, for the overabundance of idiotic stories that seem to happen there. I'm sure that we're all quite familiar with 'Florida Man', by now, along with his many and varied adventures throughout the Sunshine State. What people seem to have forgotten, however, is the other, non-'Florida Man' demographic in the state, namely your parents.

You don't hear it too often on TV these days, but for the last 40 or so years, the general understanding in America was that no matter where your life began, it most certainly ended in Florida. You retire to the Sunshine State: those were just the rules. Unfortunately for Florida, new data seems to suggest that seniors should start heading west for their golden years.

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As has been reported by the Longmont Leader, Colorado now ranks 3rd in the nation when it comes to caring for seniors. Comparatively, Florida ranks in at number 25 on the list. We're so far ahead of them here it starts to make you wonder why seniors started moving down there in the first place. Of course, then you remember that it never snows in Florida and it all starts to make sense again.

The report was compiled by UnitedHealthcare, and Colorado's placement seems largely based on the over-65 poverty rate in our state, which is lower than the national average. That very same statistic, along with high rates of volunteerism and hospice use, were also the highlighted factors giving Utah the number 1 spot.

Florida, on the other hand, can also boast high rates of hospice use, though it cannot seem to overcome the challenge of the low volunteerism rate in the Sunshine State. To make matters worse, New York - a state many seniors move to Florida from - actually ranks three points higher on the list. Not exactly a good look for what's been purported to be grandma's favorite state.

This all raises the question: should Colorado make a bigger push for the senior migration crown? I would say 'yes', but when you really think about it, convincing seniors to choose Colorado over Florida shouldn't be that difficult. Just ask them this: do you really see yourself as a 'Florida Man'?