Free Health Insurance Assistance Available To Monroe Residents For The Special Enrollment Period
Florida Department of Health in Monroe County
- 305-293-7500
- DOHMonroe@flhealth.gov
-
Mailing Address
1100 Simonton St.
Key West, FL
33040
Carolyn Thomson is a federally certified ACA health insurance navigator at Rural Health Network providing free, unbiased, non-commissioned health insurance assistance.
Carolyn can be reached at:
305-767-3883
Click on the image below of the Covering Florida rack cards (in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole) for more information.
Special Enrollment Period
If it’s not Open Enrollment Period, it’s Special Enrollment Period.
Eligibility for Special Enrollment Period includes certain life events such as getting married, getting divorced, having a baby, adopting a child, losing health coverage from loss of job or Medicaid redetermination, or if your household income is below a certain amount.
The Importance of Health Insurance
No one plans to get sick or injured and most people need medical care at some point. Health insurance offers many important benefits including:
- Health insurance provides financial assistance for medical expenses, reducing the uncertainties of the high costs of care for sickness and injury.
- You cannot be denied health insurance due to any pre-existing condition.
- All health plans must cover 10 essential benefits guaranteeing comprehensive coverage. These benefits are:
- Preventative, wellness and chronic disease Services
- Emergency Services
- Hospitalization
- Prescription Drugs
- Pregnancy, maternity and newborn care
- Pediatric Services
- Laboratory Services
- Services for mental health and substance abuse
- Rehabilitation services and devices
- Outpatient care
Emergency Room vs Urgent Care or Walk-in Clinic
When you are sick or injured, depending on your condition, consider going to an Urgent Care or Walk-in Clinic instead of an Emergency Room. If you can, go to an Urgent Care facility or Walk-in Clinic. Not only will it free up an Emergency Room for those in need, it is less costly than going to an ER and keeps costs down overall for everyone.
Choose accordingly:
An Emergency Room is well equipped for treating life threatening medical conditions, severe illness and critical injuries such as:
- Difficulty breathing
- Uncontrollable bleeding
- Broken bones
- Poisoning or allergic reactions
- Chest pains or stroke symptoms
- Unconsciousness
An Urgent Care Facility or Walk-in Clinic can help with non-life-threatening medical issues such as:
- Fevers and Flu-like symptoms
- Sprains, bumps, and bruises
- Stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Earaches, sinus infections, UTI
- Minor cuts, simple fractures, or mild burns
FREE assistance is available!
For an in-person or phone appointment, call 305-767-3883.
Connect with DOH