FAMILY HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION OFFERS COMMUNITY-BASED NAVIGATION FOR SERVICES

Finding and maintaining health insurance for individuals and families can be a daunting task. Thankfully, there is The Family Healthcare Foundation, an afordable nonprofit that helps you navigate difcult terrain and find insurance coverage that fits your needs.

For 25 years, The Family Healthcare Foundation has been helping residents of Hillsborough County as well as Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties. Its mission is to ensure that all residents have equitable access to quality health care coverage, and its services are free to anyone, regardless of income.

If you are one of the millions who are in need of health care insurance coverage, and need help navigating the system, look to Te Family Healthcare Foundation for help. It provides health care navigator services for free to all residents of Hillsborough County.

Its services have never been more needed than they are today, as Medicaid coverage for millions, which was mandated and paid for by the federal government during the pandemic, is coming to an end.

The Family Healthcare Foundation employs highly trained and experienced navigators who will work with you to compare health care coverage from both private insurance and publicly funded health insurance, such as Florida Medicaid, Florida KidCare, the Hillsborough County Health Care Plan and the Obamacare Marketplace. Navigators are paid by The Family Healthcare Foundation, which receives funding so that it can ensure everyone has access to insurance. The navigators provide unbiased information.

Navigators speak English, Spanish, Por-

By Kathy L. Collins

tuguese and Haitian Creole. They can also get a translator for other languages.

Navigators start with a screening process to determine the type of coverage that may apply. Some programs have income requirements. You can meet with the navigator over the phone, virtually or in person. In-person meetings take place at one of seven Children’s Board Resource Centers located throughout Hillsborough County, including Brandon and Plant City.

Navigators will make themselves available in the evenings and on weekends to accommodate those who work and cannot take time o f . In addition, they are partnering with BayCare Health System, Tampa General Hospital, Evara Health and Premier Community HealthCare Group to provide additional navigators during this di f cult time.

Katie Roders Turner, executive director for The Family Healthcare Foundation, said, “Our navigators have 10 years or more experience. They do not receive commission and will do a side-by-side comparison of coverage in a completely unbiased manner.”

For more information and to get the process started, please visit https:// familyhealthcarefdn.org/ or call 813995-7005.