Author Archive

The Gainesville Sun
By Christopher Curry

Meridian Behavioral Healthcare has received a federal grant to establish an Affordable Care Act navigator program.

Meridian will receive received $549,800 annually — and up to about $1.65 million over a three-year grant cycle — to hire navigators to help clients of the mental health and substance abuse counseling organization and members of the community at large sign up for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

In a press release, Meridian President and Chief Executive Officer Maggie Labarta said the […]

Ocala Star Banner
By Christopher Curry

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services this week awarded nearly $10 million in annual federal taxpayer-funded grants for “navigator” programs throughout Florida. The programs are designed to help citizens with the upcoming third year of Affordable Care Act enrollment.

The organizations are slated to receive grant funding for three years. The largest grant in the state, more than $5.9 million, went to the University of South Florida’s Florida Covering Kids and Families program. USF then contracts with organizations throughout […]

Ocala Star Banner
By Fred Hiers

The Hospital District trustees are making progress in their effort to address chronic illnesses and other health problems that plague Marion County.

The trustees recently hired a Massachusetts-based nonprofit and tasked it with three jobs: help organize the district’s efforts to determine the best way to address the county’s healthcare problems; help select local groups that need funding to help tackle these problems; and find ways to measure whether the district’s efforts are productive.

The district last week agreed to […]

Tampa Bay Times
By Kathleen McGrory

Families wishing to drop their Florida Healthy Kids insurance plans can purchase new plans through the Obamacare marketplace, Florida Healthy Kids officials said.

The special enrollment period ends Nov. 30.

Federal officials decided to open enrollment for some 36,000 Florida families who pay the full rate for Healthy Kids coverage because their monthly premiums are set to double come Oct. 1.

Some of those families had been told they would have to wait for Nov. 1, when the Affordable Care Act marketplace will […]

Ocala Post

Insurance rates for children enrolled in the Florida Healthy Kids full pay insurance plan are going to almost double on October 1, 2015. In response, the Health Insurance Marketplace, or “Obamacare,” is extending its Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to allow families impacted by the rate increase to enroll in health insurance on Healthcare.gov.

The Florida Healthy Kids Health insurance program — a Florida KidCare partner — is a program that offers low-cost health insurance for children ages 5 to 18 who are not eligible for […]

The Ocala Star Banner

Millions of dollars will soon be available to invest in improving health care in Ocala/Marion County, and there is no shortage of areas in need of a financial shot in the arm.

The Marion County Hospital District trustees on Monday approved a long-term strategic plan, hired a nationally recognized consulting firm that specializes in improving health care delivery and outcomes and moved to create a community Health Alliance of stakeholders in a healthier community.

It is part of a strategy aimed at maximizing the […]

Ocala Star Banner
By Fred Hiers

Improving the health of Marion County’s residents will not happen easily or soon.

But with a U.S. Centers for Disease Control $1.3 million grant for Marion County to focus on addressing avoidable chronic diseases, Maclyn Walker, project director of Measure Up Marion, hopes to make a dent.

Measure Up Marion was a product of Marion’s 2012 Community Health Improvement Plan. The study took comprehensive stock of the county’s health problems, such as the area’s high diabetes, obesity and heart disease rates, as […]

Health News Florida
By Daylina Miller

The families of more than 35,000 children enrolled in the Florida Healthy Kids program will soon have to choose between two more expensive plans, or find new insurance.

The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation recently sent a letter to parents enrolled in the full-pay program earlier this month. It said new requirements in the Affordable Care Act forced them to either raise their rates or shut down the full-pay program, which is part of the Florida KidCare program that serves about 400,000 […]