Floridians Have Access to Health Exchange Despite State Actions
Posted September 30, 2013 03:15 am
TAMPA,
FL - On Tuesday, almost 3 million Floridians will be
eligible for health coverage under the insurance
exchange created by the
Affordable Care Act,
but a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services said the state is "doing everything it
can to make it harder for Floridians to access the
coverage they need."
Although Florida chose not to create its own
exchange, Melanie Hall, executive director, Family
Health Care Foundation, Tampa, said federal programs are
available.
"Florida is part of the federally facilitated exchange,
so we are working very directly with federal resources
that we can then turn around and offer to our local
communities," Hall said.
Earlier this month, Florida health officials banned
counselors trained to help people sign up for health
insurance from conducting outreach on their property.
The state also turned down $50 billion in federal money
to expand Medicaid because of concerns that the federal
dollars would fall through later on. The federal
government is paying 100-percent of the cost through
2016 and 90 percent after that.
Hall says it's important to remember there are a variety
of programs available to Floridians in need of health
care and you don't need to be low-income to qualify.
"It really is very much a middle-income subsidized
program that makes folks eligible to be able to purchase
discounted products through the health-insurance
marketplace," Hall explained.
A family of four making up to $97,000 a year would
qualify for federal tax credits to help supplement the
cost of insurance, she added.
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