Florida Covering Kids & Families (FL-CKF), a community and consumer-focused nonprofit initiative based at the USF College of Public Health, has received a record-breaking $11.9 million from the U.S. Health and Human Service (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

The grant will be used for the ninth year of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment and outreach programs. 

According to its website, “FL-CKF works collaboratively with Florida agencies and stakeholders to advocate and conduct outreach to ensure all Floridians have access to affordable health care coverage. The initiative aims to foster and facilitate innovative methods for enrolling and retaining eligible children in Florida’s publicly funded insurance programs (Florida KidCare & Medicaid) and enrolling and retaining eligible adults in the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace.”

Jodi Ray, director of FL-CKF, says the group will receive $11.9 million per year for the next three years, for a total of nearly $36,000,000. 

That’s the highest any state has been awarded (North Carolina came in a distant second this year, with $4.9 million awarded) and a huge increase over last year’s $1.6 million that was awarded under the Trump administration. 

“Previously, we had to scale way back, because we lost resources,” Ray commented. “And now we’re expanding, because we’ve been awarded back those resources and more.”

Ray says she thinks FL-CKF received such a hefty grant award because the federal government looked at the group’s history and knows that it performs. 

“We’ve always exceeded our goals,” Ray said. “In fact, Florida has ranked the highest in enrollments for the marketplace every year. And we have nationally recognized programs. We’ve had at least six different states come to us asking for help with grant writing. And a lot of other grantees come to us looking for technical support. We do a really good job of doing what we are supposed to be doing—getting people enrolled in the ACA.”

Ray says much of the money will go to hire more Navigators (specially trained individuals who help consumers “navigate” the healthcare marketplace) to meet the increasing demand for affordable healthcare. According to Ray, their numbers will grow from about 60 who are staffed during the open enrollment period to 200 across the state who will work year-round. The money will also be spent on outreach and health education programs, including those centered around COVID-19 testing, vaccines and other protections. 

While Ray says she’s thrilled to receive such a significant grant, she also acknowledges that it’s overwhelming.

“I’m not gonna lie—it’s a bit stressful,” Ray said. “I feel very anxious about it because it’s a big undertaking, and we really do need more people and more equipment on board. What’s more, the HHS is going to be doing a lot of intense marketing, so I think that will drive a lot of people to our team.”

This year’s open enrollment period for health coverage extends from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15. “We have a lot of work to do,” Ray said. “But, thankfully, we have a longer enrollment period.” 

Story by Donna Campisano for USF College of Public Health