Florida bans navigators from county health offices

Scott also said there are many serious, unanswered questions about the navigators and ordered his cabinet to address the issue at a meeting last month, although nothing was resolved.

The federal government gave several Florida organizations nearly $8 million in grants to hire navigators to assist with the state exchange. Navigators will help people with various aspects of choosing an insurance plan under the new state exchange. For example, they might help someone estimate their family income for 2014, important in determining eligibility for federal tax credits to help pay the cost of coverage. As such, an applicant will have to furnish a Social Security number, tax documents and immigration status to determine eligibility for benefits.

Federal health officials said applicant information is not stored in a database, but is instead transferred instantaneously through a secure hub. For example, IRS officials won’t have access to health information or information about an applicant’s immigration status.

Navigators will be especially important in Florida where the Republican-controlled legislature has been resistant to PPACA and has opted to let federal officials run its state exchange, an online site where individuals and small businesses can shop for health insurance. The state isn’t spending any additional money on outreach efforts to get the message out to roughly 3.5 million uninsured Floridians.

Under the new online exchange, consumers will be able to choose from bronze, silver, gold, platinum and catastrophic plans that offer a range of premiums, deductibles and co-pays depending on variables such as how many doctors you want included in your network. Insurers are offering 308 plans through the exchange in Florida, according to state insurance officials.

Individuals will have to have health insurance from their employer or purchase it, and will pay a roughly $100 penalty next year if they don’t. Anyone making below the poverty line won’t be eligible for subsidies through the online marketplace. Federal health officials anticipate roughly 1 million Floridians will fall into a gap where they can’t get health insurance because the state rejected Medicaid expansion.

See also:

• Florida is No. 2 in lack of health insurance
• Fla. House, governor clash on Medicaid expansion
• Fla. legislators to Gov. Scott: Keep health insurance perk