Archive for March, 2015

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 […]

Lauren Vagelakos: Another chance to get insurance

March 31, 2015

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 […]

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

March 30, 2015

Better Health

Providing better value for your premium dollar through the 80/20 Rule: Health insurance companies now have to spend at least 80 cents of your premium dollar on health care or improvements to care, rather than administrative costs like salaries or marketing, or they have to provide you a refund. This means that 981,273 Floridians with private insurance coverage benefited from $41,679,928 in refunds from insurance companies, for an average refund of $65 per family because of the Affordable Care Act.

Scrutinizing unreasonable premium increases: In […]

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

March 27, 2015

Better Value

Scrutinizing unreasonable premium increases: In […]

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

March 26, 2015

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 […]

Alachua fares well, other counties do not in health rankings

March 26, 2015

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 […]

One more chance to enroll for 2015 health coverage

March 17, 2015

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 […]

One more chance to enroll for 2015 healthcare coverage

March 16, 2015

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 […]

Nonprofit Spotlight

March 16, 2015