Hillsborough County health care plan sees surge after federal subsidies expire
Interest grows in Hillsborough health care plan
Hillsborough County officials say hundreds of residents are looking for a back-up plan after Obamacare subsidies expired at the beginning of the year, but there is a county lifeline many residents may not know about. FOX 13’s Ariel Plasencia reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Applications for Hillsborough County’s free health care plan have increased by about 15%, approximately 600 new applicants, since federal Obamacare subsidies expired, according to officials.
"We are getting feedback from our providers that people are calling more and more as they see these subsidies have expired and they're getting the increased premiums," said Kevin Wagner, director of Hillsborough County’s Health Care Services department, which oversees the Health Care Plan. "They are trying to find another outlet for health care, and we're there to fill that void."
Big picture view:
The Hillsborough County Health Care Plan (HCHCP) is designed for residents with limited incomes who don’t qualify for other health care coverage, including Medicare or Medicaid.
Funded by a special sales tax, the plan covers primary and specialty care, inpatient and outpatient treatment, plus vision and dental. There are no deductibles or premiums for Hillsborough County residents who qualify.
The program works with major local providers, including Tampa Family Health Centers and BayCare.
Last year, the program covered approximately 24,000 residents. This year, Wagner expects that number to be significantly higher.
Local perspective:
Tampa resident Nicole Chapman was paying out of pocket for doctor’s visits and medicines until she found out she needed surgery for a rare cancer found in her pelvis.
"You're like, how am I going to afford this? So when I was thinking about all that, I was like, I need help, and that's why I signed up for the health plan," Chapman said.
Chapman told FOX 13 the HCHCP covered her cancer treatments, aftercare, physical therapy, and continuing appointments.
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In addition, the HCHCP also covers her participation in the County’s Healthy Living Program, where she takes nutritional classes and does strength training exercises with her trainer.
"It helps with balance," Chapman said of her time working with her trainer in the gym. "Because one thing that I lost with the cancer was, I was in a wheelchair. And it was hard to walk and hard to stand and hard to go up the stairs. So because of this program, I'm able to do all that now."
Chapman has lost 80 pounds. She doesn’t have any active cancer but is under frequent monitoring, so she’s grateful for continued coverage under the HCHCP.
For more information on the county’s Healthy Living Program, click here.
What you can do:
To be eligible for the HCHCP, you must be a Hillsborough County resident who meets certain income eligibility requirements.
Click here to learn more.
"That is the goal, to increase in our enrollment," Wagner added. "We know we have the capacity. We just know we need to touch people. So if you need health care or if you know someone else who needs health care, please feel free to reach out to us."
What's next:
After the subsidies expired, experts estimated around 20 million Americans would see their premium costs rise to some degree.
Democrats had fought to extend those subsidies, arguing Americans would be priced out of the health care market.
Meanwhile, Republicans argued these tax credits were only intended to get Americans through the COVID health emergency – and that emergency has passed.
As of now, the subsidies have officially expired, and the debate has reached a stalemate.
The Source: This article was written with information gathered by FOX 13’s Ariel Plasencia.