Author Archive

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 […]

WellFlorida News Release

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 25, 2014)— Kendra Siler-Marsiglio, Ph.D., has been nominated for the Inspire-Working Women Award presented by 98.5 KTK Radio. The award, in celebration of women’s history month, honors 21 of North Central Florida’s most influential women.

Siler-Marsiglio is the director of the Rural Health Partnership of North Central Florida (RHP) and president of CommunityHealth IT. RHP is a federally designated Rural Health Network established to coordinate rural healthcare delivery systems. CommunityHealth IT, a nonprofit designed to improve the health of local communities […]

Gainesville Sun

If Gainesville wants to be a breeding ground for innovation, getting affordable health care for entrepreneurs should help unlock their ability to start their own businesses.

A 2011 study by the Rand Corporation found that the U.S. system of employer-provided health care deterred people from quitting their day jobs to start businesses. A story last week on National Public Radio referred to that barrier to starting a business as job lock or entrepreneur lock.

The Rand study found that self-employment and entrepreneurship could increase by a […]

The Independent Florida Alligator
By Jessica Pereda

Nonprofit organization WellFlorida will be aiding students in the final stretch to sign up for health care.

The organization’s website, ncfnavigators.org, allows users to reach out to trained workers — called navigators — for help. The program was started in response to the Affordable Care Act, which requires every citizen to be insured by March 31.

Under the act, young adults can stay under their parents’ insurance plans until the age of 26.

Students have been a focus for these groups because they […]

Gainesville Sun
By Kristine Crane

Many of the Affordable Care Act enrollment events at the University of Florida have gathered just a scattering of students, and Tuesday’s — the last push before the enrollment deadline at the end of the month — was no exception.

Scant student interest is not necessarily a bad sign, however. It likely signals the fact that at least part of the “young invincibles” who the government is keen to enroll are staying on their parents’ insurance plans. The law mandates they can do […]

WCJB TV 20 News

Studies show young americans aren’t signing up for health insurance through the marketplace, even with a deadline looming above their heads.

The deadline for open enrollment is March 31st and anyone who misses the deadline will have to pay a penalty— $95 or 1% of their family income.

Young americans say they don’t need the insurance while others say they might not understand it.

“They just don’t like to be told what to do, basically.  It could also just be, sort of like myself, sort […]

WellFlorida News Release

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 11, 2014)—Suwannee River Area Education Center (SRAHEC) will host its 6th Annual Rural Tobacco Summit at Lake Shore Hospital in Lake City on April 1. The free event, “Addiction, Tobacco and E-Cigarettes: A Clinical Update,” will present information relating to the current effect of tobacco on youth and adults.

Lake Shore Hospital and the North Central Florida Cancer Control Collaborative (NCFCCC) are co-sponsoring the event as part of SRAHEC’s StellarEd Solutions program to encourage health professional education. Presentations will focus on […]

By Kristine Crane
Gainesville Sun

As the March 31 deadline to sign up for health insurance on the federal exchanges approaches, local navigators are hosting a public enrollment event on Saturday.

The sign-up will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at HealthStreet at 2401 Archer Road. It is one of several sign-up events that navigators and application counselors have held in the past few months.

As of February, 296,892 Floridians had signed up for health insurance, the vast majority for the Silver Plan, in which insurance companies […]

WellFlorida News Release

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2014)— March 31, 2014 is the last day to apply for insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace if you would like to gain coverage in 2014 and avoid penalties. The next enrollment period begins Nov. 15, 2014. To assist with the enrollment process, Health Insurance Marketplace Navigators will be holding an enrollment event on Saturday, January 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at HealthStreet, 2401 Archer Road, Gainesville.  (HealthStreet is located near the intersection of SW 23rd Drive […]