Navigators from the USF College of Public Health’s Florida Covering Kids & Families (FL-CKF) will be joined by those from the Family Healthcare Foundation on Nov. 10 at the USF Marshall Student Center to help consumers learn more about their coverage options through the federal health insurance marketplace. 

The free event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Consumers can register for an appointment by calling toll-free (877) 813-9115 or visiting www.CoveringFlorida.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.

The 9th annual open enrollment season is coming on the heels of the most challenging year and a half that Floridians have faced in the health care arena. The COVID-19 pandemic’s health impacts, its ongoing job and wage losses and the related loss of employer-sponsored insurance make it tremendously important for consumers to be able to understand their options in successfully obtaining affordable health coverage for themselves and their families for 2022. 

Covering Florida navigators deliver free outreach and enrollment services to any Floridian that needs to enroll in health care coverage in the federal health insurance marketplace. Navigators are trained and certified to help consumers as they shop for their health coverage options through the marketplace, including completing eligibility and enrollment forms. Services are confidential and free to consumers in all of Florida’s 67 counties.

At the Nov. 10 event, FL-CKF navigators will be on hand to offer education about marketplace insurance, assist individuals and families with coverage choices and guide those interested in enrolling through the application process.

FL-CKF was awarded a nearly $12 million navigator grant for the 2021-2022 enrollment period. FL-CKF works with 9 consortium partners across the state to help those who want assistance understanding and enrolling in healthcare coverage available through the health insurance marketplace.

The last date to enroll for coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2022 (as well as the final day that 2022 enrollees can change policies before being “auto-reenrolled” in their previous health care coverage plan) is Dec.15, 2021.

Edited by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health