Florida to watch closely as Obamacare again goes before Supreme Court

The signature policy of former President Barack Obama brought health insurance to about 20 million people, and it remains especially popular in Florida, where more people registered for coverage this year than in any other state. The Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, created exchanges or marketplaces through healthcare.gov that allow people to browse health care options outside of an employer plan. [Source: Bay News 9]

Florida health administration says residents can leave nursing homes for holidays

Those who have been secluded for months inside senior living facilities are allowed to enjoy their family outside of the facility. We spoke with someone off camera who said it’s just too risky for her to take her dad out of his nursing home with the spike in coronavirus cases. But one man told us, if he can, he will take his mother out of her nursing home to spend the holidays surrounded by a small group of close family members safely. [Source: Wink News]

Why is Florida the worst state for long-term care?

Florida is essentially tied with Maine for the highest percentage of residents age 65 and older — roughly 21%, vs. 16% for the U.S. population. And about one in 10 people in The Sunshine State are 75 or older, the highest percentage in the nation. So how is it possible that, according to a recent data-driven report, Florida ranks dead last for long-term care services and supports? Florida ranked in the bottom of the four quartiles of states in three categories and in the next-to-worst quartile for the other two. [Source: Forbes]

UF Health enrolls its first patients to begin clinical trials to treat COVID-19

The University of Florida Health enrolled their first patients in a clinical trial to treat COVID-19. UF Health is one of hundreds of medical centers internationally, participating in this trial. UF Researchers are hoping to enroll at least 20 patients so they can develop a potential treatment. [Source: MyCBS4]

A new item on your medical bill: The ‘COVID’ fee

When Michael Hambley got the call from his 87-year-old mother in July, he was sure there was a mistake. She told him that her assisted living facility, the one she paid for with her pension, was charging a one-time, $900 fee for masks, cleaning supplies and meal delivery. Jennifer Koeckhoven had a similar experience in June: a $60 personal protective equipment charge — tacked onto her mother’s ambulance bill — that went uncovered by insurance. “She was already wearing a mask,” said Koeckhoven, who noted that the one-mile ambulance ride already cost $1,759 before the fee. [Source: Sun Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Health needs changing? Your Medicare coverage might need a checkup, too [Florida Today]
Q: I’m going to be 65 next month and I still have funds in my health savings account. Should I sign up for Medicare or wait?

› Flu shots offered in Flagler schools in November [Palm Coast Observer]
As part of its agreement with Flagler Schools, the Florida Department of Health in Flagler (DOH-Flagler) is back on local campuses this month offering flu shots to students, staff and faculty.

› Boca Raton Innovation Campus adds Baptist Health South Florida to tenant roster in largest office deal in Palm Beach County since pandemic [PR Newswire]
Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), the 1.7 million-square-foot office campus known as the birthplace of IBM's personal computer, has leased 37,982-square-foot office space to Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the South Florida region.

› Florida hires mental health coordinator to help people recover from disasters [Yale Climate Connections]
Social worker Darcy Abbott became the mental health coordinator for disaster recovery at the Florida Division of Emergency Management last year.