This page has information specific to this state, including contact information for federal and state agencies, and some key information about laws and consumer protections.
To find financial assistance resources, please visit CancerFinances.org.
Disability Insurance
Federal Disability Insurance (SSDI & SSI)
Social Security Administration
800.772.1213
Estate Planning & Medical Decision Making
Triage Cancer's free State-Specific Estate Planning Toolkit includes information about estate planning in general, and information about Florida estate planning documents, and the specific forms you need.
Consumer Rights
Employment
Federal Fair Employment Agency
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
800.669.4000
info@eeoc.gov
Reasonable Accommodations
Job Accommodation Network
800.526.7234
jan@AskJAN.org
Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
U.S. Department of Labor
Wage & Hour Division
866.487.9243
State Fair Employment Agency
Florida Commission On Human Relations
850.488.7082
Vocational Rehabilitation
Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
850.245.3399
Health Insurance
Quick Guide to Health Insurance Marketplaces
Florida Health Insurance Marketplace (a.k.a Exchange)
HealthChoices Florida
800.396.5990
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
850.413.3140
State Children’s Health Insurance Program
Florida KidCare
888.540.5437
Find Health & Dental Coverage For Your Family
InsureKids.gov
COBRA
U.S. Department of Labor
Employee Benefits Security Administration
COBRA-Florida
Florida Department of Financial Services
877.693.5236
Florida Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (FLHIPP)
678.564.1162 (Press 1)
Medicaid Programs
Triage Cancer Guide to Medicaid Expansion
Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Medicaid Home Health Services
888.419.3456
Florida In-Home Support Services
State Medicaid Program for In-Home Care
SMMC LTC
State Children’s Health Insurance Program
Florida KidCare
888.540.5437
Find Health & Dental Coverage For Your Family
InsureKids.gov
Medicare
Medicare
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
800.MEDICARE (633.4227)
Medicare Assistance
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
Florida SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders)
800.963.5337
Health Care Programs & Laws
Women’s Health & Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA)
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
Sharing Medical Information with Family & Friends
Hill Burton Federally-Funded Health Centers
Federally Qualified Health Centers
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP)
Breast & Cervical Cancer Treatment Program (BCCTP)
Transportation
Local transit systems may provide free or discounted rates for low-income individuals and families. Some cities also offer bus passes, vouchers for taxi or ride-sharing services, or shuttle services for patients traveling to cancer treatments.
Dial 211 for assistance.
Unemployment Resources
Unemployment Agency
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
850.245.7105
Agency: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
Click here to see the current weekly benefit amount and the maximum length of benefits. The main website for assistance with claims is here. Initial filings can be made here. Weekly claims for benefits can be made here. Frequently asked questions can be found here. Claimants with difficulty using the online system can file by phone: 1.833.352.7759. You must have lost your job through no fault of your own, so you must not have quit for personal reasons or been terminated for misconduct. Claimants who are partially employed may apply if an employer cut the claimant’s hours against the claimant’s will.
Updates related to Florida Reemployment Benefits and Covid-19
State Clinical Trials Law
The ACA requires that most, non-grandfathered, group health plans provide coverage for the routine costs when participating in clinical trials. Some states have more consumer protections. Click here for more information about clinical trials.
Florida Clinical Trial Compact
This is not a law, but it is an agreement between private insurance providers and only applies to providers who have signed onto the compact and voluntarily agreed to cover routine costs of patient care for those in clinical trials. As of 2010, these providers include Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida, AvMed Health Plans, Vista Healthplan, Aetna, CIGNA, and UnitedHealth Group Florida.
Phase II, Phase III, or Phase IV clinical trials are covered for cancer if the in-network physician recommends participation in the cancer clinical trial.
To be covered, the clinical trial must either involve a drug that is exempt under federal regulations from a new drug application or must be a trial that is approved by (1) A cooperative group or one of the National Institutes of Health; (2) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the form of an investigational new drug application; (3) U.S. Department of Defense; (4) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; (5) National Cancer Institute; or (6) An accredited institutional review board of any accredited school of medicine, nursing, or pharmacy or licensed children’s specialty hospital in Florida.
The Clinical Trial Compact covers “Routine patient care costs,” which means the costs of health care services, including drugs, items, devices, and services that would be covered under the patient’s health plan if they were provided outside of a cancer clinical trial.
(Last updated 8/2022)