Federal grant money, under Title X (Ten), is available through many of Florida’s county health departments to help fund family planning services. Each county health department (CHD) is a service arm of the Florida Department of Health (DOH) in Tallahassee, the largest Title 10 grantee in Florida, which receives federal Title 10 funds from Washington, DC. Counties apply to the DOH for funding, and the DOH distributes its alottment to Florida’s 67 county health departments.
How much Title 10 grant money is available for vasectomy in a certain county depends upon, among other factors, (1) how much Title 10 funding the county receives from the DOH, and (2) how much of that funding the CHD chooses to use for vasectomy as opposed to other forms of contraception, which, in turn, depends upon (3) utilization of the funds allocated for vasectomy during the previous fiscal year (did they use it all early or was there some left over?).
The extent of an individual’s coverage depends upon his income and number of dependents, as well as upon the county in which he is seeking services. For example (and this information may change with time), Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough and Charlotte Counties recognize all fee groups (A-G) below, can accommodate those who qualify for partial funding (Groups B-G), and will provide services for a fee (check with the individual county) to those who do not qualify for any coverage. Citrus County covers 100%, but only for men who fall into columns A or B or the Sliding Fee Scale below. Some counties have arrangements for providers to perform vasectomies in their county clinic facilities; other counties arrange for procedures to be done in private doctors’ offices or Planned Parenthood clinics. Some counties will deny Title X coverage to a man with health insurance even if the insurance deductible is high (sometimes more than the vasectomy fee) and he qualifies for assistance based upon income and family size. Under Title X rules, county health departments may not restrict allocation of the Title X funds to residents of their own counties. Therefore, men who qualify may receive funding for services in any county.