Five years later: How ACA is working for Florida—Better Health

Five years later: How ACA is working for Florida—Better Value

Better Value

Scrutinizing unreasonable premium increases: In […]

March 27, 2015

Five years later: How ACA is working for Florida—Better Options

Better Options

Making health care more affordable and accessible through the Health Insurance Marketplaces: Through the Marketplace, Floridians had the option of signing up for quality health coverage at a price they could afford. Whether they visited the simpler, faster and more intuitive website at HealthCare.gov or contacted the call center, they found more choices and competitive prices.

In Florida, 1,596,296 consumers selected or were automatically re-enrolled in quality, affordable health insurance coverage through the Marketplace as of Feb. 22. Nationwide, nearly 11.7 million consumers selected […]

March 26, 2015

Alachua fares well, other counties do not in health rankings

Gainesville Sun
By Christopher Curry

Alachua County fared well in a national county-by-county snapshot of residents’ health, while several rural North Central Florida counties continued to struggle with significant issues.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s sixth annual national county health report ranked Alachua County 18th in the state for health outcomes, a measure that looks at data related to residents’ length of life and quality of life.

Alachua County was second in the state for health factors, a measurement that […]

March 26, 2015

One more chance to enroll for 2015 health coverage

Consumers who had to pay a penalty for not having health coverage in 2014 and still haven’t signed up this year have one more opportunity to enroll in health care coverage for 2015. Consumers can visit Healthcare.gov from March 15 to April 30 to sign up for health insurance and explore their financial assistance options. Navigators are available to help consumers enroll during this special enrollment period – consumers can visit http://ncfnavigators.org for a calendar of Navigator events or contact the Navigator dedicated to […]

March 17, 2015

One more chance to enroll for 2015 healthcare coverage

WellFlorida News Release

“This special enrollment period is a wonderful opportunity for uninsured Floridians to get health care coverage for themselves and their families,” said Lauren Vagelakos of WellFlorida Council and Health Insurance […]

March 16, 2015

Nonprofit Spotlight

Center for Nonprofit Excellence E-News

WellFlorida Council, the region’s local health council and statewide consultants for health causes,
is a nonprofit focused on building healthy communities through partnerships that improve access to healthcare, eliminate health disparities and advocate for the underserved.

Established in 1969 and based in Gainesville, we are one of Florida’s 11 local health councils, a network of nonprofit agencies that conduct regional health planning and implementation activities. Our district includes 16 counties in North Central Florida.

As consultants for health causes, we keep local and […]

March 16, 2015

Some help for parents

Special to The Guardian
By Mona Gil De Gibaja

Healthy Start of North Central Florida is now offering a free parenting program in Alachua, Bradford and Putnam counties.

It is called the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting, or MIECHV, program and it will offer the following:
* Information on your child’s development.
* One-on-one parenting support.
* A connection with other parents and resources
* Information on developmental delays and/or health issues.
* Books and educational toys for your child.

Also, parents can earn free rewards, […]

March 5, 2015

Affordable Care Act enrollment period extended for some

The Gainesville Sun
By Christopher Curry

The federal government has granted a limited extension to the Affordable Care Act enrollment period for people who attempted to sign up before the Feb. 15 deadline but were unable to complete their application.

The extension is for people who encountered the technical problems that plagued the HealthCare.gov website during the last weekend of enrollment or faced extended wait times trying to get through to the federal health marketplace call center during a pre-deadline rush, according to the Department of Health […]

February 17, 2015

2014 Healthy Start Annual Reports

Central Healthy Start Coalition and Healthy Start of North Central Florida Coalition have released their annual reports for 2014. Both coalitions offer care coordination, and support and education in childbirth, parenting, tobacco cessation and women’s health. The coalitions serve areas that are largely rural with low population density and with a level of income that is lower compared to the rest of the state. Both reports provide data on the number of pregnant women screened and served by Healthy Start in North Central and Central […]

February 16, 2015