BURKE W. WHITMAN

LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR SECTION 16
REPORTING OBLIGATIONS

Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby
makes, constitutes and appoints each of Timothy R. Parry,
Robert E. Farnham and Gary S. Bryant each acting individually,
as the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with
full power and authority as hereinafter described on behalf of
and in the name, place and stead of the undersigned to:

(1) prepare, execute, acknowledge, deliver and file any
and all forms including, without limitation, Forms 4
and 5 (including any amendments thereto) with respect to
the securities of Health Management Associates, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the "Company"), with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission, any national securities
exchanges and the Company, as considered necessary or advisable
under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and
the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as amended
from time to time (the "Exchange Act");

(2) seek or obtain, as the undersigned's representative and
on the undersigned's behalf, information on transactions in
the Company's securities from any third party, including
brokers, employee benefit plan administrators and trustees, and
the undersigned hereby authorizes any such person to release
any such information to the undersigned's representative and
approves and ratifies any such release of information; and

(3) perform any and all other acts which in the discretion of
such attorney-in-fact are necessary or desirable for and on
behalf of the undersigned in connection with the foregoing.

The undersigned acknowledges that:

(1) this Limited Power of Attorney authorizes, but does
not require, each such attorney-in-fact to act in their
discretion on information provided to such attorney-in-fact
without independent verification of such information;

(2) any documents prepared and/or executed by any of
such attorneys-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant
to this Limited Power of Attorney will be in such form and
will contain such information and disclosure as such
attorney-in-fact, in his discretion, deems necessary or
desirable;

(3) neither the Company nor any of such attorneys-in-fact
assumes (i) any liability for the undersigned's responsibility
to comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act, (ii) any
liability of the undersigned for any failure to comply with such
requirements, or (iii) any obligation or liability of the
undersigned for profit disgorgement under Section 16(b) of the
Exchange Act; and

(4) this Limited Power of Attorney does not relieve the
undersigned from responsibility for compliance with the
undersigned's obligations under the Exchange Act, including,
without limitation, the reporting requirements under Section
16 of the Exchange Act.

The undersigned hereby gives and grants each such
attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do and
perform all and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary or appropriate to be done in and about the
foregoing matters as fully to all intents and purposes
as the undersigned might or could do if present, hereby
ratifying all that each such attorney-in-fact of, for and
on behalf of the undersigned, shall lawfully do or cause to
be done by virtue of this Limited Power of Attorney.

This Limited Power of Attorney shall remain in effect until
the undersigned is no longer required to file forms under
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act with respect to the
undersigned's holdings and transactions in securities issued
by the Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned
in a signed writing delivered to each such attorney-in-fact.

This Limited Power of Attorney revokes all prior Powers of
Attorney delivered by the undersigned with respect to forms
to be filed under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act regarding
the undersigneds holdings and transactions in securities issued
by the Company.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Limited
Power of Attorney to be executed as of this 5th day of
October, 2006.


/s/ Burke W. Whitman
Signature


Burke W. Whitman
Print Name