Covering Florida has been serving Florida residents through thick and thin over the last seven years by helping consumers navigate the sometimes confusing coverage options for ACA (Obamacare) marketplace health insurance.  We are facing the most severe health crisis of our lifetimes with the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the expected surge in unemployment numbers in Florida combined with the potential hazard of in-person meetings, Covering Florida Navigators across the state are prepared to assist.
 
If you find yourself being laid off due to business decisions related to the health crisis, the current rules provide a sixty-day eligibility window for you and your family, called a Special Enrollment Period, to sign up for a suitable health coverage plan available in your county.  Please do not wait until the last minute to seek help figuring out which plans are best for your health care needs.  As Information changes Covering Florida will be doing our very best to keep consumers updated through our website and social media outlets.
 
ACA enrollees can get personalized help discussing the often confusing details of health care coverage. Consumers can go to www.CoveringFlorida.org and select the scheduling an appointment button to meet with a trained assister virtually or telephonically. Consumers can also call the Covering Florida marketplace number 877-813-9115 which is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
 
Covering Florida has trained navigators who can help consumers review the basics of health insurance, walk them through filling out the online application and explain how federal subsidies for premiums and cost sharing work. Navigators have gone through the federally regulated training and typically provide in-person, telephonic or virtual assistance. Unlike insurance agents and brokers, our navigators have no financial stake in the plans people select and the help a Navigator provides is always free and unbiased.
 
 
Navigators not only help marketplace enrollees renew and change coverage, they also help people enrolling for the first time.  Jodi Ray is the Program Director of Florida Covering Kids & Families at the University of South Florida and manages the statewide Covering Florida program. “We’ve tried to be real creative in our approach in order to reach as many people as possible,” Ray says. “One way we’re trying to provide services is offering virtual and phone appointments to anyone in the state.”
 
“We don’t make a recommendation” for a particular plan, Ray says. “Our job is to make sure you understand enough that you feel confident in the decision you make.”
 
Parents should also be aware that Florida KidCare offers head-to-toe coverage for children from birth through age 18, and applications for coverage can be completed 365 days a year. The program assists the public in applying for coverage in Florida Healthy Kids, Medicaid, MediKids and Children’s Medical Services. You can visit https://www.healthykids.org/kidcare/faq/ for info and to apply or call 1-888-540-KIDS (5437). You can apply using a single application. Many families pay $15 or $20 per month, but most pay nothing at all.  Our Covering Florida navigators should be able to find answers to questions regarding Florida KidCare as well.
 
We wish good health for all Floridians, but in the event of a health care need, its best to know that you can #GetCovered and #StayCovered.   Please follow your local health department, government and CDC websites for updated info on the COVID-19 crisis.
 
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Reprinted from USF Health's College of Public Health News 


January 24, 2020 

The numbers are in and 1.9 million Floridians selected or were re-enrolled in health care plans in 2020 during the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) open enrollment period held from Nov. 1 to Dec. 21.

That’s about a 200,000 increase from last year, despite an 85 percent cut in grant funding, said Jodi Ray, a USF College of Public Health (COPH) instructor II and program director of Florida Covering Kids and Families (FL-CKF).  FL-CKF manages the USF State Navigator Program and nearly a dozen other organizations (collectively referred to as the “Covering Florida” consortium) that provide Navigator services across Florida.

“I’m shocked, but happy,” commented Ray. “Previously we had a marketing budget and all this support to get information about health care coverage out there. But that’s now been cut. And they also cut enrollment assistance. Some states have completely done away with their Navigator Programs—they couldn’t support one on the money they were given. And despite the fact that the number of insured has gone down during this administration, Florida’s enrollment has actually gone up—every single year.”

How was ACA enrollment able to increase when the funding that promoted and facilitated it was cut to the bone?
Key, said Ray, was extending Covering Florida’s reach by teaming with community and government partners.

“We’ve been targeting a lot of vulnerable populations, such as those where English is a second language and those who are re-entering society after jail time,” commented Ray. “We’re also working with the Mexican consulate in Orlando, the Epilepsy Foundation in South Florida, Healthy Start and faith-based and LGBTQ partners—populations that we know are at risk of being uninsured or of not having access to health care. In addition, I work with a lot of elected officials. We’ve really pushed them to use things like social media to get the word out about Covering Florida so their constituents can get the ACA info they need.”

Another factor helping to drive enrollment: offering virtual sign-up sessions.

“We had to look at how we were going to serve the state with so much less in terms of money and personnel,” explained Ray, who noted that the number of state Navigators dwindled from a high of 152 a few years ago to a mere 25 now. “Virtual enrollment has really helped us serve people in an area where we don’t have Navigators on the ground.”

Despite the limitations, Ray said she’s proud of her FL-CKF team’s continued commitment to serving Floridians around the state.
“I’m really impressed with my team and their ability to go with the changes,” said Ray. “I’m so pleased with all that we’ve accomplished and with what we continue to accomplish.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

USF Florida Covering Kids & Families (FL-CKF) Navigators to host November 5th event to assist consumers with enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace
Enrollment event open to USF campus and the community; anyone with questions about coverage is welcome.

Tampa, FL (10/14/2019) -- An on-site, free, community outreach and enrollment event to help consumers learn more about their coverage options through the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., November 5, 2019, at the USF Marshall Student Center, 4103 USF Cedar Circle, Tampa, FL 33620.
Navigators from USF Florida Covering Kids & Families (FL-CKF), joined by those from The Family Healthcare Foundation, will be able to assist people with Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment or renewals.  Navigators will offer education about Marketplace insurance, assist individuals and families with coverage choices, and guide those interested in enrolling through the application process.
FL-CKF was awarded a $1.3 million Navigator grant for the 2019-2020 enrollment period. FL-CKF works with 5 consortium partners across the state to help those who want assistance understanding and enrolling in healthcare coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
The last date to enroll for coverage that begins January 1, 2020 and the final day that 2019 enrollees can change policies before being “auto-reenrolled” in their previous health care coverage plan is December 15, 2019. Enrollment event walk-ins are welcome, but registration is recommended because parking is limited. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call toll-free (877) 813-9115.
Other Important Information:
There will be very limited free parking spaces within Lot 3B off USF Holly Drive. These spaces will be marked off as reserved for this event only. Visitors parking on the USF-Tampa campus are required to purchase a daily parking permit. Parking pay station is located off USF Cedar Drive, Lot 5A. Daily parking for the Marshall Center is located within the Crescent Hill Parking Garage or Lot 3B and 3C off USF Holly Drive. There is also a sheltered Bull Runner Stop USF Cedar Circle, immediately in front of the Marshall Center.
 
 
-USF Health-
USF Health's mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a Top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu
-CMS-
The project described was supported by Funding Opportunity Number CMS-CA-NAV-19-001 from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents provided are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.

As our trained and motivated Navigators at Covering Florida continue to work with clients during the ongoing Special Enrollment period, they are also gearing up for the upcoming seventh Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Period. (OE7)  Our Navigator partners are planning events throughout the state for virtually every day of the week during OE7, doing community outreach, answering questions, and helping existing clients and new clients to solve problems and maintain their financial data.  Covering Florida Navigators are making sure they can do all they can to keep Florida families covered for their health care needs in 2020 and beyond.
 
Our Covering Florida consortium has faced tremendous challenges in recent years in meeting its goals in getting Florida consumers the coverage they needed.  Budget cuts in 2017 and 2018 forced drastic cuts to the teams in our partnerships and individual personnel cuts forced us into more telephone and virtual appointments with consumers and less face-to-face opportunities.
 
The Navigator teams at Covering Florida responded to these challenges by turning them into opportunity.  We built new alliances with activist groups who wanted to make sure healthcare remained affordable and accessible.  Media partners in Florida doubled down to help us get the word out.  A big effort was made to expand our social media outreach and push for earned media to help us tell the story that we had to tell.  Local Navigator groups around Florida worked harder and for longer hours to get the job done with less team members on board. 
 
Throughout it all, our numbers of Floridians enrolled in the Marketplace still exceeded expectations over the past couple of years, and we have not seen a decrease in our amazing results in 2016, 2017 and 2018 final enrollment numbers. Florida still leads all Marketplace states in the United States. 
 
Sharing this article with your circle of influence will also help us supplement our marketing activities and alert more Florida residents to the upcoming Open Enrollment Period. Consumers who are unable to secure insurance through employment or other programs owe it to themselves and their families to #GetCovered and insure themselves against potentially life-changing health related emergencies and developments.  Call or visit Covering Florida today at 877-813-9115 or www.CoveringFlorida.org

​

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2019
 
Media Contact: Jody Young | 561-704-3912 | jody_r_young@att.net
 
 
TAMPA, FL- 
 
Jodi Ray, Director of Florida Covering Kids & Families,(FL-CKF),a community and consumer-focused nonprofit initiative of The Chiles Center, based in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, announced that her organization has received a $1.3 million dollar award from the US Health and Human Service Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a seventh year of Affordable Care Act enrollment and outreach programs, for the current project year beginning August 30, 2019. 
 
(https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Programs-and-Initiatives/Health-Insurance-Marketplaces/Downloads/2019-Navigator-Grant-Recipients.pdf)
 
Florida achieved the greatest number of Health Insurance Marketplace enrollments in the country during last year’s 6th Open Enrollment season,(OE6),matching the very successful Open Enrollment 5's total of 1.7 million Floridians. The OE6 success was notable as it occurred despite significant funding cuts last year which reduced the number of state Navigator partnership groups from 10 to 5.  We are pleased that this year’s award will allow us to maintain current partnerships and staffing levels.
 
The award announcement also confirmed that an additional $1.3 million was allotted by CMS for OE8 enrollment and outreach programs for late 2020 through 2021. The total per year is a slight increase over last year’s $1.25 million.
 
In-person, online and telephonic assistance will allow the Covering Florida consortium to again cover the anticipated high demand for statewide enrollment services during OE7. We would prefer to have the ability to offer more in-person assistance, as research and experience shows that consumers are twice as likely to successfully enroll having in-person assistance as those who have attempted online without help. In addition, historically underserved communities have relied more on in-person assistance. 
 
Open Enrollment begins on November 1st this year and continues until December 15th for those needing coverage beginning January 1st, 2020. The 2020 Open Enrollment window will again be limited this year to six-weeks, beginning November 1 until December 15th, so consumers need to once again be made aware of the early deadline.  
 
Ray stated “Our network of Navigators is recognized nationally for the service they provide to the communities across the state of Florida, for their high-quality work and for the amazing number of consumers who have been helped in gaining coverage for the last several years. Our Navigators make an impactful difference in the lives of Floridians, and rest assured, we will continue our hard work and make best efforts on informing the public and helping them gain the coverage they deserve and access to the healthcare they need.”  
 
Ray continued, “Our Navigators not only do outreach and sign-ups, but we help consumers update their accounts, resolve data matching issues, understand their coverage options and how to use the coverage, file appeals and exemptions, inform them on the impact of unpaid premiums, and connect them to health care providers and community resources. Because of the decreased resources for outreach and marketing we will need more help from the communities and from the media to make sure the Open Enrollment window and deadlines are widely shared and publicized.” 


 
FL-CKF and its consortium partners have been providing Navigator services throughout the state of Florida since the first Open Enrollment period in 2013. The following partners comprise the 2019-2020 USF statewide consortium and are collectively known as "Covering Florida": 

• Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida– Serving Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, and Volusia counties
• Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida– Serving Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Sarasota, Highlands, Hardee, and Manatee counties
• Primary Care Access Network– Serving Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Lake counties
• Epilepsy Florida – Serving Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties
• Family Healthcare Foundation – Serving Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties
• University of South Florida Navigators– Serving Madison, Taylor, Jefferson, Gadsden, Wakulla, Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson, Washington, Calhoun, Gulf, Bay, Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee and Union counties

 
 
Covering Florida is frequently called upon as an expert in health insurance coverage and health literacy for its ability to reach out to diverse audiences and educate consumers about health insurance coverage and utilization including options under the Affordable Care Act, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicaid. Covering Florida reaches consumers through partner organizations and collaborates with hundreds of organizations, many of which provide direct service to thousands of health care consumers. The organization focuses largely on advocating for and increasing access to care and services via enrollment for individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals with disabilities, populations underserved in the current private health insurance market, and vulnerable populations by employing multi-lingual Navigators, producing brochures in multiple languages, conducting workshops, and providing interviews in various languages.  
 

For free in-person, telephone or virtual Navigator assistance state-wide visit 
http://www.coveringflorida.org/  or  call (877) 813-9115  
### 
The project described was supported by Funding Opportunity Number CMS 1Y1-19-001 from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents provided are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.

Northwest Florida Open Enrollment Extension Information for 2019 Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage 

 
The regular Open Enrollment deadline for Florida Marketplace consumers ended last month on December 15th.  Because of the impact on the panhandle and other NW Florida communities by Hurricane Michael, individuals affected by Michael in 2018 will be eligible for an Additional Special Enrollment Period (SEP) which extends the Health Insurance Marketplace 2019 Annual Open Enrollment Period through February 16, 2019. These individuals will be required to attest that they meet the following eligibility requirements: 
 
1) They resided in any of the counties that are eligible to apply for “individual assistance” or “public assistance” from FEMA either during the FEMA-designated incident period for the major disaster declaration for Hurricane Michael, or at the time of application for enrollment; and 
 
2) They were affected by the disaster, and it prevented them from completing enrollment.  The counties with eligible residents include Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington.
 
Consumers with questions can receive FREE and confidential telephone or virtual Navigator assistance state-wide from a Covering Florida Navigator by calling (877) 813-9115 or by scheduling an appointment at  http://www.coveringflorida.org/  
 
Additional SEP eligible individuals may also contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 or TTY at 1-855-889-4325 to request enrollment using this SEP after December 15, 2018.  
 
As with all Health Insurance Marketplace plans, financial assistance may be available. Consumers who receive financial assistance will be required to file U.S. Federal income taxes for 2019.  For more information, call Covering Florida at 877-813-9115

For more specific details on the Additional SEP please visit https://www.cms.gov/ccIIO/Resources/Regulations-and-Guidance/Downloads/AdditionalSEPHurricaneMichael.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3qSWGiOQqnbdlz5tiEW_0iJXf1vZfiuqAgaj7eQM7EtV9HkLrkpqybWx0


 
The project described was supported by Funding Opportunity Number NAVCA180333-01-00from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.”  “The contents provided are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies."

 
Enrollment event open to USF campus, and the community; anyone with questions about coverage welcome

Tampa, FL (12/05/2018)-- An on-site, free, community enrollment event to help consumers learn more about their coverage options through the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., December 15, 2018, at the University of South Florida  Navigator Office located at 3500 East Fletcher Avenue, Suite 530, Tampa, FL  33613.

USF Navigators will be able to assist people with Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment or plan renewals.  Navigators will offer education about Marketplace insurance, assist individuals and families with coverage choices, and guide those interested in enrolling through the application process.

USF Florida Covering Kids & Families (FL-CKF) was awarded a $1.25 million Navigator grant for the 2018-2019 enrollment period. FL-CKF works with 5 consortium partners across the state to help those who want assistance understanding and enrolling in healthcare coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
​
The last date to enroll for coverage that begins January 1, 2019, and the final day that 2018 enrollees can change policies before being “auto-reenrolled” in their previous health care coverage plans, is December 15, 2018.

Enrollment event walk-ins are welcome, but scheduled appointments are highly recommended. For more information or to schedule an appointment for this event or any other time before the deadline on December 15th, please call toll-free (877) 813-9115.

Other Important Information:
Free parking is available on site.  Due to building renovations, we kindly request that you park in the back of the building (west side), and enter through the door located in the center of the building.
                                                                    
-USF Health-
USF Health's mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a Top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation.For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu
​###
 
 
The project described was supported by Funding Opportunity Number NAVCA180333-01-00from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents provided are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.