COVID-19: Health Justice Challenges
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COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has reached pandemic proportions, presents a dire public health emergency. Florida faces this challenge with significant disadvantages. Our state has failed to expand Medicaid, leaving us with the country’s fourth-highest rate of uninsured (13%). At the same time, Florida has one of the highest proportions of residents 60 and older in the nation (over 25%) and many live at or near poverty. In Miami-Dade County, a COVID-19 hotspot, one in five elders are below the federal poverty level. Further, thousands are on waitlists for home health services, without which they are acutely vulnerable to the present dangers of institutionalization. Additionally, two million state residents live in mixed immigrant families that may be afraid of accessing public healthcare because of new immigration rules. Florida Health Justice Project is advocating aggressively on behalf of those most at risk.
Policy Updates/Fact Sheets/Know Your Rights Handouts:Background & Update on Medicaid Coverage and the Public Health Emergency
Read more here COVID-19 Vaccination Sites Read more here COVID-19 Testing & Treatment Resources for Uninsured Florida Residents Read more here Did You Receive a Surprise Hospital Bill for COVID-19 Treatment? There may be help. Read more here ¿Ha Recibido Usted una Cuenta Inesperada del Hospital por Haber Recibido Tratamiento por COVID-19? Lea más aquí Pregnant & on Medicaid During COVID-19? Read more here The State of COVID-19 in Florida and South Florida: An Early Look at Disparities in Outcomes Read report here The Path Forward: Florida's 2020 Policy Blueprint Read more here Appendix K: A Potential Opportunity for Expanding Home and Community Based Resources for Frail and Disabled Florida Seniors Read more here Appendix K: Stakeholder Questionnaires Read more here COVID-19 Policy Digest & Recommendations Federal and State Actions (March 18-April 10, 2020) Read more here Florida Medicaid Recipients: Know Your Rights During COVID-19 Emergency Read more here Destinatarios de Medicaid de Florida: Conozca Sus Derechos Durante la Emergencia de Covid-19 Read more here Florida Medicaid Applicants: Know Your Rights During COVID-19 Emergency Read more here Solicitantes de Medicaid de Florida: Conozca Sus Derechos Durante la Emergencia de Covid-19 Read more here Summary of AHCA Policies Read the Summary of AHCA Policies (updated 3/22) implementing 1135 Waiver Healthcare Access by the Numbers: FL in the Time of COVID-19 Read more here Media/Press Release/Blog Posts:Op-ed: "Do Florida lawmakers know COVID-19 is a public health emergency? They're not acting like it"
Read the full article here Testing and Treatment Clinics Informational press release on clinics throughout Florida providing testing and treatment Press release connecting healthcare crisis and healthcare access injustices Read the full release here Blog post: Florida Can Put Medicaid to Work Against the Coronavirus Now Read the full post here Video: COVID-19: Health Care Resources for Low-Income Floridians Watch video Video: Florida's Communities of Color and COVID-19 Watch video Video: Sick in Paradise: Stories from Florida's Coverage Gap Watch video Video: Sick in Paradise Part 2 (Lives on the Line) Watch video Video: Florida's Medicaid Expansion and COVID-19 Watch video Sign-on Letters:Health provider sign-on letter
Join in the open letter from medical providers, proposing public health measures and priorities in response to the novel coronavirus here Action Network: Sign the Petition Sign the petition: EVERY ACA exchange must reopen ACA enrollment to ensure everyone has access to healthcare amid the coronavirus pandemic. Other Helpful Resources:Florida Department of Health
Includes FAQ and cases tracker, updated daily: https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/ Miami-Dade County, COVID-19 Vaccines FAQ Information about who can get vaccinated, and where Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine Locator Lists vaccination sites across the state by county and city Legal Services of Greater Miami COVID-19 Resources COVID-19 Information & Resources Kaiser Family Foundation Coronavirus Resources National Health Law Program Coronavirus Resources HRSA Uninsured Patient COVID Information for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccines Coronavirus Resources |
