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. Florida Health Justice Project is advocating aggressively on behalf of those most at risk.
Publications
Reports, Fact Sheets and Policy Updates
The State of COVID-19 in Florida and South Florida: An Early Look at Disparities in Outcomes
May 2020 The Path Forward:
Florida's 2020 Policy Blueprint June 2020 Appendix K: A Potential Opportunity for Expanding Home and Community Based Resources for Frail and Disabled Florida Seniors
May 2020 |
Background & Update on Medicaid Coverage and the Public Health Emergency
August 2021 COVID-19 Policy Digest & Recommendations:
Federal and State Actions (March 18-April 10, 2020) April 2020 Summary of AHCA Policies Implementing 1135 Waiver
March 2020 |
Healthcare Access by the Numbers: FL in the Time of COVID-19
Florida Can Put Medicaid to Work Against the Coronavirus Now
March 2020 Press Release: Expand Medicaid in Florida--COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes Disparities, Deficiencies in Health Care System
March 2020 |
Other Resources
COVID-19 Vacunas, Tratamiento y Costos
Enero 2022 |
COVID-19 Vaccination Sites
January 2021 |
COVID-19 Testing & Treatment Resources for Uninsured Florida Residents
July 2020 |
COVID-19 FAQs for State Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Agencies
January 2021 |
Know Your Rights
The Public Health Emergency (PHE) and Extended Medicaid Coverage: Q & A for Florida Medicaid Recipients
October 2021 ¿Ha Recibido Usted Una Cuenta Inesperada del Hospital por Haber Recibido Tratamiento por COVID-19?
Destinatarios de Medicaid de Florida:
Conozca sus Derechos Durante la Emergencia de COVID-19 Abril 2020 |
La Emergencia de Salud Pública y la Cobertura Extendida de Medicaid: Preguntas y Respuestas para los Beneficiarios de Medicaid de Florida
Octubre 2021 Pregnant & on Medicaid During COVID-19? Florida Medicaid Applicants:
Know Your Rights During COVID-19 Emergency April 2020 |
Did You Receive a Surprise Hospital Bill for COVID-19 Treatment? There May Be Help.
Florida Medicaid Recipients:
Know Your Rights During COVID-19 Emergency April 2020 Updated June 2020 Solicitantes de Medicaid de Florida:
Conozca sus Derechos Durante la Emergencia de COVID-19 Abril 2020 |
FEATURED STORYTELLERS
Florida Health Justice Stories - COVID-19
Florida Health Justice Stories - COVID-19
Johana She did what she had to - for her job and for her health. Exposed to Covid-19 as a front-line worker, Johana went to her local public hospital to take a Covid-19 test. She was told the bill would be covered. Instead, the hospital sent the bill to collections. Read more |
Jeffery Jeffery Burney is combating fear with science in his quest to get his community vaccinated for COVID-19. Read more |
Z.B. Z.B. had been recently discharged from the hospital with COVID-19 when the bills started arriving. Altogether, she owes $30,000 in medical bills from the five days she spent tethered to an oxygen tank, struggling to breathe, as she was treated for COVID pneumonia. Read more |
Presentations and Trainings
Florida Elder Health Justice in the Time of COVID:
Training sessions that provide a basic overview of Florida Medicaid eligibility and services for low-income Florida seniors. June & July 2020 |
Videos
COVID-19:
Healthcare Resources for Low-Income Floridians April 2020 |
Florida's Communities of Color and COVID-19
April 2020 |
Florida's Medicaid Expansion and COVID-19
May 2020 |
The Conversation: Healthcare Workers on the COVID Vaccines
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FHJP Voices in the News
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FHJP's Alison Yager and Miriam Harmatz's Op-ed: "Do Florida lawmakers know COVID-19 is a public health emergency? They're not acting like it" Read Article Here |
FHJP's Alison Yager's Letter to the Editor on the Importance of Equitable Vaccine Distribution in Florida Read Article Here |
FHJP's Blanca Mesa featured in WLRN: As DeSantis Lowers Florida Vaccine Age Cap, Health Care Advocates Urge Him To Include Frontline Workers Read Article Here |
FHJP’s Quotes in Miami Herald Article Highlight the Pandemic’s Impact and Needed Action in Face of ACA’s Legal Threat. Read Article Here |
FHJP's Alison Yager Quoted in WLRN Article: Some Who Don't Meet Florida Criteria Get COVID-19 Vaccines At Baptist South Florida. Read Article Here |
New York Times Article Featuring FHJP Board Member, Dr. Fred Anderson: Will We Struggle to Reach Herd Immunity? Read Article Here |
WLRN Article Featuring Alison Yager and FHJP Board Member Dr. Zinzi Bailey: Why Expanding Medicaid Eligibility Could Help Florida Insure More People And Boost COVID-19 Vaccination Rates.
Read Article Here
Read Article Here
Sign-on Letters
Health Provider Sign-on Letter
Proposing Public Health Measures and Priorities in Response to the Novel Coronavirus |
Action Network Sign-on Letter
Every ACA Exchange Must Reopen ACA Enrollment to Ensure Everyone has Access to Healthcare Amid the COVID Pandemic. |
Other Helpful Websites
Florida Department of Health
Includes FAQ and cases tracker, updated daily: https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/
Kaiser Family Foundation
Coronavirus Resources
National Health Law Program
Coronavirus Resources
Includes FAQ and cases tracker, updated daily: https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/
Kaiser Family Foundation
Coronavirus Resources
National Health Law Program
Coronavirus Resources