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Community Health Centers Provide Florida’s Children Health Services, Even Without Insurance

December 19, 2018 - 10:00am

Floridians recently were surprised to learn that last year the number of children uninsured in our state increased for the first time since tracking began a decade ago. According to a recent report released by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, the share of Florida children without insurance coverage rose from 6.6 percent to 7.3 percent.

A family’s income or ability to pay for coverage should never be a roadblock preventing parents from keeping their children healthy. Florida's Community Health Centers are committed to meeting our state’s health care needs by providing community-focused care to even the youngest of patients. With affordable services for all ages, Community Health Centers are truly a lifeline for medically underserved communities.
 
Florida had 325,000 children without insurance last year. Even though a majority of uninsured children are eligible for state government-funded programs, enrollment has actually declined. Children younger than 6 are at the highest risk for health concerns.
 
Serving as president and CEO of the Florida Association of Community Health Centers has allowed me to see first-hand just how integral Community Health Centers are in protecting Florida’s children. Throughout the year, our centers across the state provide primary care through school health programs and provide immunizations to more than 265,000 children each year. Providing basic health services in schools is critical, since it may be one of the few times many Florida children receive care from a health professional.
 
Across Florida, various programs are experiencing a decrease in the number of children enrolled in different insurance coverage plans. By offering more affordable insurance options, Community Health Centers – which are committed to meeting people where they are – work to fill the gap and serve the needs of low-income Floridians and their children.
 
From birth to age 18, Florida children are eligible for comprehensive coverage through state-sponsored health insurance programs. These programs offer free, subsidized, or full-pay insurance options at each stage of the child’s growth and development.
 
It’s important that all families understand that their children have a viable path to coverage, no matter their income or ability to pay. Most Community Health Centers across the state have Certified Application Counselors who can assist with the health insurance coverage application process, and all our facilities charge patients using a sliding fee scale based on family size and income. Community Health Centers are here to serve Floridians and their children, no matter their ability to pay.
 
At the end of the day, there is no excuse for any child to go uninsured. Especially now, with the number of uninsured kids on the rise, it’s comforting to know that Florida’s Community Health Centers are here to meet their needs.
 
Andrew Behrman is president and CEO of the Florida Association of Community Health Centers.

Comments

"...Suffer the little children,..." AND, spare us from "ObamaCare"; "single-payer-healthcare"; Illegal Invader Aliens; government entitlements that causes "Mothers" to drive "Fathers" out of homes and parenting responsibilities; "gender-identification" according to what kind of Unicorn YOU want & wish to be; and ALL OTHER "political money-making-ploys" named in any imaginable fashion as some kind of "social engineering fairness" or (banish the term) "insurance"..!

The extremely Generalized statement that the number of uninsured children has risen is not questionable. I do wonder about the Florida children being discussed. Florida was kind enough to accept kids from other places, i.e., Puerto Rico, Mexico, and other South American countries. Were these children made a part of this study? Or is their information on how many Citizen kids were eligible? NOTE: THIS POST WILL NEVER BE SEEN! IT WILL GO TO A THIRD-PARTY COMPANY WHO WILL ~R~E~J~E~C~T~ ITS POSTING! NANCY SMITH< EDITOR! PAY ATTENTION!

Puerto Rican children are citizens... but it is important to consider if the study simply looked at the number versus the rate.

"Runaway" children of "Runaway" parents (250,000 of them") who CHOSE to "Runaway" rather than rebuild their Puerto Rico homes and tropical island ( not to mention that their grandparents in 1947 took their guns in to the "Halls of Congress in D.C." and shot it up in order to AVOID "Statehood"); like roaches and leeches, "responsibility" is an unknown word to them (unlike "gimmee"). WHAT IF: Florida Panhandle Residents, totally hurricane-devistated and deprived of homes and job, FLED to Puerto Rico to rebuild and settle the island...? I'll tell you, with certainty: The "Runaway PR Leeches" invading here, would then DEMAND their newly rebuilt island be returned to them, and FREE airline tickets to get them there.. Give 'em each a free blanket, a shovel, and a bus ride to Idaho, or Oklahoma, and wish them luck settling in...

Tampaguy, for some reason your comments ended up getting filtered by our spam filter. I've set your past comments to be marked as "not spam" and published. The system is supposed to learn as it goes.. we're hoping there won't be a problem in the future but if you still get filtered please let us know. - website admin

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