COVID-19:  Health Justice Challenges 

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
​Order Free At-Home Tests
​
​
                                                       March 2022
​Pida Pruebas Gratuitas para Hacerse en Casa
​
                                                       March 2022
COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatment and Costs
​
                                                    January 2022
​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

​                     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
FHJP Voices in the News
Florida Health Justice Project's tweet quoted in Floriday Today

Read Article Here
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
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

  Sign-up For Email Updates
The Florida Health Justice Project, a nonprofit organization, recognizes that access to quality and affordable health care is a human right and engages in comprehensive advocacy to expand healthcare access and promote health equity for vulnerable Floridians.
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL FREE WITHIN THE STATE AT 1-800-435-7352 .  IT CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT WWW.800HELPFLA.COM.  REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE STATE.