Author Archive

Suwannee Democrat
By Bryant Thigpen

Suwannee County has been ranked 53 out of 67 counties in Florida regarding the overall health status of the county, according to recent data released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Suwannee County’s ranking did improve from last year which was ranked at 54.

Union County was ranked this year at 67.

According to a press release by the Florida Department of Health, this study highlights the many community factors that influence health. These rankings are a snapshot of […]

Special to the Gainesville Sun

For most Americans, open enrollment for the health insurance marketplace ended on March 31. However, there are some special cases that allow consumers to finish their insurance application in the marketplace if they were not able to do so before the deadline.

It is important for consumers to fully understand their options when it comes to completing their enrollment, especially given the ever-changing climate that has been health care reform.

Despite information throughout the media, the open enrollment period for the health insurance […]

GTN News

There’s still a lot of confusion about the healthcare enrollment deadline. The Obama Administration announced a deadline extension, but was it extended for you?

GTN’s Hailey Holloway has what you need to know to avoid a fine from the IRS.

“We didn’t expect something like this to happen!,” said Lauren Vagelakos, an associate planner at WellFlorida Council and the coordinator of navigators in North Central Florida.

If you’re confused about the deadline to sign up for healthcare, you’re not alone. Even the federally-employed navigators had to figure […]

Gainesville Sun
By Kristine Crane

Google e-cigarettes and celebrities and you’ll see glam shots that seem to glorify smoking the “harmless” new type of cigarette.

The problem is, electronic cigarettes aren’t harmless, experts told an audience Tuesday of about 60 people — mostly health care professionals in rural North Central Florida — at a tobacco summit in Lake City.

The sixth-annual gathering, which was organized by the Suwannee River Area Health Education Center and other partners, focused in part on e-cigarettes and youth addiction.

According to the Florida Youth […]

By HEALTH NEWS FLORIDA AND ASSOCIATED PRESS

Enrollment in health insurance plans is continuing, and navigators in Florida are still working to help people pick plans.

Jodi Ray, who directs the USF grant program that contracts with navigator groups, said the contracts haven’t expired so the navigators are still available at the same places they were before — some community centers, health clinics, and so on.

(Go to this page and click on “find local help.” You can type in your zip code and get a list.)

A few routes remain […]

White House Rural Council Blog
Posted by Leila Samy and Gina Capra

A 65-year-old veteran living in a rural community presents at his local Critical Access Hospital (CAH) with symptoms of pneumonia. After evaluating the patient, the physician discharges him with a prescription for antibiotics. What the physician doesn’t know is that his US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) providers had prescribed warfarin (a blood thinner) to help prevent harmful blood clots that may cause a stroke. Yet certain antibiotics, when combined with warfarin, can lead to […]

WUFT News
Cyanne Dunn

People signing up for health care under the Affordable Care Act through the open enrollment period must do so before midnight tomorrow.
So far six million people have already signed up, according to Reuters. This is reportedly a last-minute surge from the administration’s estimated five million that were enrolled 10 days ago.

More than 440,000 Floridians have enrolled for healthcare coverage, according to the latest report from the Department of Health and Human Services, making up about 7 percent of people enrolled. Their statistics are […]

WCJB-TV 20

GAINESVILLE – The deadline to sign up for ObamaCare is around the corner. More than six million people have already signed up while that’s short of the goal the Obama administration initially laid out. There is an extension for some people, however, deadlines are not clear. Here in North Central Florida, volunteers are helping raise those numbers.

“Well the problem really is that there are so many uninsured here in Gainesville and Alachua County,” Drew Aldrich with Get Covered America said. The affordable health care act is something many are talking […]

Gainesville Sun
By Kristine Crane

“Navigators are adding extra hours this weekend,” said Lauren Vagelakos, an associate planner at WellFlorida Council and the coordinator of navigators in North Central Florida.

“We’re doing our best to work around the clock and get everyone in before March 31st,” she said.

Although early last week the Obama administration announced a deadline extension of April 15, that only applies to people who by Monday have already begun the sign-up process, Vagelakos cautions.

“As long as you attempt to apply by the 31st, you’ll […]

Special to The Gainesville Sun

The health insurance marketplace is closing in just a few short days — on March 31. With the next open enrollment period not beginning until fall of 2014, it is imperative that consumers enroll immediately in order to ensure health coverage and avoid paying a penalty.

What many North Central Floridians do not realize is that they may qualify for premium tax credits in the marketplace to help reduce the monthly cost of their insurance premiums. For example, a family of two […]