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Gainesville Sun

Staff and wire report

Politics and policy talk dominated the airwaves Thursday. But the stories of people like Silver Springs residents Gary and Israel Gil-Schor were the ones that best reflect the import of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a key part of the Affordable Care Act.

Israel Gil-Schor works in sales for a small company whose employees get their health insurance through ACA exchanges. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation database, he is one of 17,000 Marion County residents who, to one degree […]

Gainesville Sun

By Christopher Curry

Tiffen Lovler breathed easy Thursday.

After several months of uncertainty, the Supreme Court ruling in King v. Burwell came out and Lovler, 27, knew that he would be able to keep the tax credits that made it possible for him to buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

“It’s a relief,” he said. “It will let me keep my insurance because it will be affordable to me.”

Lovler said he pays a $40 monthly premium thanks to the taxpayer-funded subsidies that were a central […]

Gainesville Sun

By Giuseppe Sabella

Saturday is National HIV Testing Day and local organizations are offering free events to educate and evaluate residents in a time when Florida is the leader for new HIV infections.

In 2013, Florida faced almost 5,400 new cases of HIV and the number rose to just over 6,000 in 2014, according to the Florida Department of Health.

“We used to be second, however, we have made it up to No. 1 and this is not a No. 1 we want to be proud of,” said […]

West Marion Messenger
South Marion Citizen

Marion County residents are invited to share their views on health and healthcare in their community by taking a 10 to 15 minute survey. A partnership of healthcare facilities and WellFlorida Council, the regions’ health council and consultant for health causes, are conducting the survey from April to June 2015. Residents’ input will be used to assess Marion County’s most pressing health needs and to develop a community health improvement plan for the county.

By participating in the survey, residents have the chance to voice their concerns and […]

Ocala Start Banner

Marion County residents are invited to share views on health and healthcare in the community by taking a 10- to 15-minute survey.

A partnership of healthcare facilities and WellFlorida Council, the regions’ health council and consultant for health causes, are conducting the survey. Resident input will be used to assess the county’s most pressing health needs and develop a community health improvement plan.

Survey participants have a chance to win a $50 VISA gift card.

The survey is available as a .pdf, hard copy or online […]

WellFlorida News Release

Marion County residents are invited to share their views on health and healthcare in their community by taking a 10 to 15 minute survey. A partnership of healthcare facilities and WellFlorida Council, the regions’ health council and consultant for health causes, are conducting the survey from April to June 2015. Residents’ input will be used to assess Marion County’s most pressing health needs and to develop a community health improvement plan for the county.

By participating in the survey, residents have the chance to voice their concerns and win a $50 […]

Gainesville Sun
By Christopher Curry
The special tax season sign-up period for the Affordable Care Act runs through Thursday.

The limited enrollment period started March 15 and is open to people who did not sign up for coverage in 2014 or 2015 and were unaware they would face a financial penalty for not purchasing health insurance coverage through the ACA.

They will face the financial penalty for not buying ACA coverage in 2014 but can avoid the larger penalty looming next tax season by getting 2015 coverage.

For […]

Ocala Star Banner
By Fred Hiers

The Marion County Hospital District is taking a step this week toward opening its financial spigot and sending money to help local nonprofit health care and social service providers.

The district, which received about $212 million a year ago from leasing Munroe Regional Medical Center, is planning to use the money to fund nonprofits that work to improve the health of county residents. Without specific guidelines as to how the money should be spent, the seven-board-member district has worked for the […]

The Fine Print UF

WellFlorida Council is a nonprofit focused on building healthy communities. We are North Central Florida’s local health council and statewide consultants for health causes.

Established in 1969 and based in Gainesville, we are one of the 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 have kept local and state health policy decision makers informed, worked with hundreds of community […]

Special to The Gainesville Sun

Open enrollment for the health insurance marketplace ended for the general public on Feb. 15. However, the Center for Medicaid Services announced a new special enrollment period for individuals who did not have health insurance coverage in 2014 and as a result have to pay a fee when they file their 2014 taxes.

This period is specifically for these individuals who didn’t understand the implications of not having coverage in 2014, and were not aware it would result in having to […]