• Florida Health Justice STORIES

    Profound injustices plague Florida's health coverage systems: failure to expand Medicaid, lack of long-term care resources, barriers to care for children, immigrants and the elderly, and the risk of cutbacks to the state’s vital but underfunded Medicaid program. We share the STORIES of Floridians impacted by these issues because health justice is not only about health law and policy, it's about people.

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    Medicaid |

    The Lived Experience

    Dr. Tina Carroll-Scott | Miami Dade County

    Dr. Tina Carroll-Scott shares her experience with Medicaid in Florida, and how her patients benefit from having this healthcare coverage.

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    Medicaid |

    The Lived Experience

    Victoria | Lee County, FL

    Victoria shares her experience with Medicaid in Florida and seeking help for her autistic daughter.

    Shirley | Jacksonville, FL

    Long-Term Care

     

    Shirley | Jacksonville, FL

    After a stroke, Shirley cannot even get out of bed without the use of a special lift, which requires trained aides to operate. With no assistance from aides on the weekends, she has been forced to spend that entire time confined to her bed.

    Tal | Former Florida Resident

    Medicaid |

    The Lived Experience

    Tal | Lee County, FL

    From being a non-verbal child to communicating for a living, The Netflix Series “Atypical” actress shares her journey and the essential role of Medicaid.

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    Medicaid |

    The Lived Experience

    Susana | Miami Dade County, FL

    Susana shares her experience with Medicaid in Florida, and how it provides healthcare coverage for her son who was born with Vacterl Syndrome.

    Jeffery | Miami, FL

    COVID-19

     

    Jeffery | Miami, FL

    Jeffery Burney is combating fear with science in his quest to get his community vaccinated for COVID-19.

    Adriana | Orange County, FL

    Medicaid Expansion

     

    Adriana | Orange County, FL

    As her income fluctuates, so does her eligibility for Medicaid. Adriana had an abnormal mammogram, but without health coverage, she cannot afford follow-up care.

    Jamie | Santa Rosa County, FL

    Medicaid |

    The Lived Experience

    Jamie | Santa Rosa County, FL

    When her non-profit employer downsized in March 2020, Jamie lost her job and her ability to pay the monthly premium for her private insurance plan. Without income, she no longer qualified for a federal subsidy for her Affordable Care Act insurance policy.

    Japheth | Florida

    Medicaid |

    The Lived Experience

    Japheth | Miami, Florida

    Foster children are entitled to healthcare - Medicaid - until age 26 in Florida. But, no one told Japheth. He found himself with thousands of dollars in medical debt and went without proper care for serious medical conditions until now.

    Ana Santos | Florida

    Long-Term Care

     

    Ana S. | Florida

    Angela is a full-time office manager and caregiver for her 84-year-old mother Ana, who suffered a massive stroke four years ago. For Angela, being with her mother is an act of love, but she needs help.

  • The STORIES

    Rosaline | North Miami, FL

    Medicaid Expansion

     

    Rosaline | North Miami, FL

    When her youngest son turned 18, Rosaline was left without access to affordable healthcare and thousands of dollars in debt for emergency room visits.

     

    See More Medicaid Expansion STORIES

    Japheth | Florida

    Medicaid | The Lived Experience

    Fatima | Miami-Dade County, Florida

    Fatima shares her experience with Medicaid in Florida, and how it helps her afford healthcare for her granddaughter.

     

    See More Medicaid The Lived Experience STORIES

     

     

    Antonia | Miami, FL

    Elder Health

    Antonia | Miami, FL

    When Antonia goes to the dentist for the maintenance care that she needs, she is turned away. It is always the same response: “Your insurance does not cover dental care.”

     

    See More Elder Health STORIES

     

     

    Shirely| Jacksonville, FL

    Long-Term Care

    Shirley | Jacksonville, FL

    After a stroke, Shirley cannot even get out of bed without the use of a special lift, which requires trained aides to operate. And while Medicaid home health aides take care of her during the week, moving her from her bed to a wheel chair, her managed care plan stopped sending aides on the weekend. She has been forced to spend entire weekends in her bed.

     

    See More Long-Term Care STORIES

    Mark | South Florida

    Immigrant Health

    Mark | South FL

    “I have been an educator for over 13 years, and I know the important role that education has in the lives of immigrant families and their children. When they are healthy, children can be in the classroom, and that is where great things can happen!”

     

    See More Immigrant Health STORIES

     

    Michael | Orlando, FL

    Floridians Impacted By COVID-19

    Michael | Orlando, FL

    Before Covid-19 hit Central Florida, Michael Smith scraped together a living running his own small business. He doesn’t have health insurance but has medical needs, including asthma he manages on his own.

     

    See More Floridians Impacted by COVID-19 STORIES

     

     

    Miriam | Miami, FL

    Care for Uninsured

    Miriam | Miami, FL

    Miriam, a resourceful single parent, thought the battle was over when she survived cancer and had a job with insurance. But then she lost her job during COVID, and old cancer treatment bills were sent to collections.

     

    See More Care for Uninsured STORIES

  • Share Your Story

    Join us in working for health justice in Florida. Let your voice be heard! Please contact us if you or a family member need health care and are:

    • An uninsured Floridian between the ages of 50-64.
    • A low-income worker.
    • A parent of a minor child.
    • A pregnant woman.
    • Someone struggling with injury or illness, including mental illness.
    • A senior struggling to remain at home and out of a nursing home.
    • A person who has benefited from being on Medicaid, or had a family member who has benefited.

    Sharing your story --in your words and your voice-- is essential. Together we'll make the case that everyone should have affordable accessible health care.

  • Health Justice Talk

    with Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo

     

    The Florida Health Justice Project speaks with Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, the Chief of General Internal Medicine at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, about the challenges faced by his many uninsured patients and the devastating impact he sees of Florida’s failure to expand Medicaid.

     

    Florida is one of just 14 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. More than 800,000 Floridians would gain access to health coverage with Medicaid expansion. Many more who have lost their employer-based policies in the COVID-19 pandemic would also qualify for the safety-net program.

     

    Medicaid expansion is a key step in remedying the structural racism at the root of persistent health disparities, and most immediately the disparities defining the pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 3,000 Floridians to date.

     

  • Making the case for Medicaid Expansion

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    who need the benefit of expanded health care coverage.

  • Support The STORIES Project

    Your support will help us educate decision-makers, the media, and the public about the impact of health law and policy on individual Floridians and their families.

  • We are grateful to the following funders for support of the STORIES Project:

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    STORIES in the News!

    FHJP's STORIES Project connected Sonia and Miguel with a Miami Herald reporter, who then wrote about the need for adding a dental benefit to Medicare.

     

    Read article in Miami Herald