The 2009 population figures mean that Flagler will almost certainly not cross into six-figure territory when decennial census figures are announced. Figures on housing, income, poverty and insurance were also released.
Health Care
Income, Employment and Labor Data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 Census Bureau Community Survey
Detailed, charted table of the Census Bureau’s employment, income and labor data for Flagler County and Palm Coast, 2009 American Community Survey.
State’s Small-Government Plan to Scale Back Food Inspections at Child Cares Backfires
Weeks after a new state law removed Florida Department of Health inspectors from child-care centers in hopes of saving money, they’ve quietly been welcomed back into a few centers, with more to come.
Record 43.6 Million in Poverty; Record 50.7 Million Uninsured; Only Elderly Thrive
The Census Bureau’s annual poverty, income and insurance report is the hardest data yet on the severity of the recession. The elderly are not only spared: they improve.
Alex Sink and Rick Scott on Health Care: Sharp Clash of Opposites in Race for Governor
On health care, there are no blurry lines between Florida Gubernatorial candidates Alex Sink and Rick Scott. It’s a story of opposites.
Variations on Root Canals: Credit Card Fraud from a Dentist Near You
Beware, consumers: those credit cards with fabulous terms you’re getting at your dentist’s office may hide seriously rotten business.
In 5-2 Ruling, Florida Supreme Court Rejects Ballot Measure Banning Federal Health Reform
Citing “misleading and ambiguous language,” the court rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned mandated federal health insurance in Florida.
Supreme Court Still Silent on Proposal to Exclude Floridians From Federal Health Reform
Amendment 9, bumped off the November ballot by a lower court for being misleading, would ban laws that would make health insurance a requirement from taking effect in Floria.
Mosquito-Borne Encephalitis May Be On the Rise in Flagler, Health Department Cautions
The disease is rare but has severe consequences, and the department’s “sentinel” chickens have shown an increase in symptoms of the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus.
Aerial View of Florida Hospital Flagler Campus, 2010
Large aerial view of Florida Hospital Flagler campus and property line, 2010.
More Beds, More Buildings, More Doctors: Hospital Campus Plans for Doubling Capacity
The 100-acre campus along SR100 will eventually have a new hospital tower to accommodate an extra 100 beds, several additional buildings and, soon, a trail system.
Back from the Brink, Florida Hospital and United Healthcare Reassure Flagler Clients
For people who need to go to the hospital or its affiliates, nothing changes–until the fine print is made clearer: rates are almost certain to increase.
Florida Court Rules Pregnant Woman’s Rights Override Presumptions for the Unborn
In a circuit court decisions with wide implications about the rights of a fetus, a judge ruled a woman had the right to decline hospitalization against doctors’ concerns over her pregnancy.
Commission Increases County Employees’ Health Costs Against Steep Opposition
County employees’ health insurance premiums are rising steeply, but they remain less expensive than for employees in other government agencies in the area.
United Healthcare Pledges 75-Day Extension for Flagler Clients Despite Hospital Dispute
United Healthcare’s pledge lessens thousands of Flagler residents’ anxiety over getting care at Florida Hospital Flagler, but only temporarily.
Merchants of Greed: How Florida Hospital and United Healthcare Bargain Over Your Body
On Aug. 15, half a million central Floridians, and thousands in Flagler County covered by United Healthcare, including children on medicaid, will be denied insured coverage at Florida Hospital’s facilities, including Florida Hospital Flagler.
Where Spin Meets Bull: Florida Hospital’s Lars Houmann on the Dispute With United Healthcare
A three-and-a-half minute video by the Florida Hospital CEO is a window into the company’s deception and disingenuity.
Florida 1 of 3 States With Top-Rated Medicare Advantage Plan. But You Can’t Enroll in Flagler.
Top-rated Capital Health Plan, a non-profit, is available only in the four-county Tallahassee area, so local Medicare members are denied enrollment.
Medicare Advantage: How Florida Rates
Florida doesn’t rate so high in a state-by-state chart showing the percentage of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries enrolled in quality plans.
Florida Leads States’ Failures in Reporting Problem Caregivers
Florida leads the nation in ignoring federal database reporting of health professionals who have been disciplined on the job, undermining background and safety checks on frontline caregivers.
Food Safety Inspections End At Florida Hospitals, Child Cares and Nursing Homes
A new law designed to diminish duplication of services ends them instead, as food-preparation for children, the sick and the elderly will go mostly uninspected from now on.
Compact Shuffles Bad Nurses Like Parishes Shuffling Bad Priests
A 24-state nursing compact, which does not include Florida, enables nurses to evade their shady pasts merely by moving to a new job.
Prescription Pill-Popping By Far a Leading Killer as Florida’s Drug Deaths Spike 20%
Oxycodone, the addictive prescription pain-killer also known as OxyContin, directly caused more deaths in Florida in 2009 than cocaine, heroin and morphine combined.
Feds, Not Florida, Will Pay for Medicaid’s 1 Million New Beneficiaries
Attorney General Bill McCollum’s claim that health reform forces Florida to shell out too much money for Medicaid is demonstrably false.
Florida Legislature’s Spending Misleadingly Labeled as Pork
Most of the spending called “pork” (or “turkeys” by Florida TaxWatch is of immediate and necessary benefit to senior health, care for the poor and transportation.
Florida Medicaid Audit Reveals Shockingly Poor Oversight
Lax state oversight of Medicaid is fueling runaway costs in the health program covering 2.7 million poor and elderly Floridians.
Florida’s Small-Business Health Insurance Exchange a 2-Year Bust
Two years after GOP lawmakers launched it as a way to deregulate the health-care market for small businesses, Florida Health Choices still offers no coverage and faces an uncertain future.
County Employees’ New Health Plan: Higher Premiums, Lower Out-of-Pocket
County government is edging toward opening an in-house clinic for employees and dependents, but premiums would rise.
Florida Regulators Stop Admissions to Troubled Youth Facility
Officials cut off admissions to Manatee Palms Youth Services, a 60-bed facility that serves 6 to 17 year olds when the facility failed to address violations.
Two Children Die in Dental Chair. Why?
Does parents’ desire to spare their children the anxiety of dental care lead them into taking unnecessary risks?
US To Florida: Health Care Opt-Out Is Not an Option
Hours after the Legislature voted on party lines to “opt out” of the new federal health law, the Obama administration said that will not be permitted.
Sara Palin’s Cafeteria Christianity
Russell A. Pizer gives the once and future queen of reactionary Republicans a lesson in the Declaration of Independence and other spelling tips.
Health Reform’s Bigger Windfalls for Florida
while there are still many unknowns about how the new federal health-care laws will be implemented, Florida stands to do very well financially and socially.
Florida House: Medicaid “Reform” for All?
House leaders late Monday released a proposal that would require almost all beneficiaries statewide to enroll in managed-care plans — including seniors who need long-term care.
Rubio’s Health Care “Model” Isn’t Functioning
Marco Rubio says the nation should adopt his Florida Health Choices, claiming its market approach is “happening right now.” He’s wrong. Florida Health Choices has yet to insure anyone.