[[{“value”:”A Florida county will pay off county residents ‘ medical debts with any remaining national COVID-19 relief funds.
The second Florida county to do so, Orange County commissioners decided to use$ 4.5 million in extra money from the American Rescue Plan.
Florida County will pay its residents ‘ medical debts with COVID-19 funds| Really The News https://t.co/jXB1cmVXNj
— John Solomon on February 26, 2024 ( @jsolomonReports )
Florida-based Health News reports:
The second discussion of medical debt relief is hardly scheduled, according to Orange County, and the procedures and specifics have not yet been established.
Nearly half the amount of funding, or$ 8.5 million, which would have covered about 300,000 residents, was being pushed for by the organization Central Florida Jobs With Justice.
The second Florida county to use COVID funding to pay off medical debts would be Orange.
Tara Felten even spoke during a public comment, arguing that fundamental needs and medical debt are related.
We’ve been informed that focusing on problems like housing and food makes clinical debt relief a small priority, according to Felten. Of course, we concur that residents must have their basic needs met. However, it is a grave misunderstanding of the realities of poor and working-class communities to assert that debt is n’t directly related to the family’s ability—or lack thereof—to support themselves.
According to Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero and The Center Square,” Health debt relief is crucial.”
She continued,” I want to assist our community with this issue.
Jerry Demings, the mayor of Orange County, said that health debt relief is a “negotiated process” with health professionals.
Residents ‘ health debts will be paid off with COVID-19 fundshttps: //t. Co-WvpftUqakv
February 26, 2024, The Center Square ( @thecentersquare )
originating in Center Square:
Similar programs have been approved by different governments, including Cook County, Illinois, and New Orleans, according to Demings.
He added,” We do have experience with those communities.” ” At least there are some additional urban communities that have gone before us if we decide that we want to take part in the health relief program.” They are better able to describe to us how things turned out within their respective jurisdictions.
Vice Mayor Nicole Wilson asserted that access to healthcare is a right.
In a nation this wealthy, there should n’t be any kind of qualification, she said.
She questioned, but, whether the county could negotiate directly with healthcare providers without using Wilson’s “middle man,” a third-party philanthropic that specialized in that area.
According to Demings, third-party negotiators can be helpful in achieving debt settlement.
Central Florida’s Orange County is home to about 1.4 million people.
Its county seat is Orlando.”}]] [[{“value”:”
A Florida county will use leftover federal COVID-19 funds to pay medical debts for county residents.
Orange County commissioners have agreed to spend $4.5 Million in leftover funds from American Rescue Plan. They are the first Florida counties to do so.
Florida county to use COVID-19 money to pay residents’ medical debts | Just The News https://t.co/jXB1cmVXNj
John Solomon (@jsolomonReports), February 26, 2024
Health News Florida reports:
Orange County has said that no date has been set for the next discussion on medical debt relief, and the process and details are not yet determined.
Central Florida Jobs with Justice pushed for nearly twice as much funding, or $8.5 million. This would have covered about 300,000 residents.
Orange will be the first county to use COVID funds to pay off medical debts in Florida.
Tara Felten spoke also during public comments, arguing that medical debt and basic necessities are interconnected.
“We were told that medical debt relief was a low priority because the focus was on housing and food,” Felten stated. “We agree that residents’ basic needs must be met. To claim that debt doesn’t directly correlate with a family’s capacity to provide for itself is to misunderstand the realities of poorer and working-class neighborhoods.
According to The Center Square, Maribel Gomez Cordero, Commissioner of the Center Square, said that “medical debt relief is important.”
“I want to help my community with this issue,” she added.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings stated that medical debt relief was a “negotiated” process with medical providers.
COVID-19 money will pay residents’ medical debtshttps://t.co/WvpftUqakv
The Center Square (@thecentersquare), February 26, 2024
From the Center Square:
Demings said that other governments, such as Cook County in Illinois and New Orleans, have approved similar programs.
“We have the experience from those communities,” he added. “If we decide to participate in the Medical Relief Program, there are other metropolitan communities who have already done it. They can explain to us better their outcome, and how it worked within their respective jurisdictions.”
Vice Mayor Nicole Wilson said that health care is a human right.
She said, “There shouldn’t even be a qualification in a wealthy country.”
She questioned, however, whether the county could directly negotiate with health care providers, without having to use an independent nonprofit that specializes in this field, which Wilson referred to as a “middleman.”
Demings said that third-party negotiators are valuable in settling debt.
Orange County is in Central Florida, and has a population around 1.4 millions.
Orlando is the county seat.
“}]]
