Low Cost Health Insurance in Florida

A guest column…for a change.

It’s a state where more than 4 million people are uninsured, but yet there are hardly any takers for the new low-cost healthcare program in the state, the Cover Florida Healthcare Access Program. It’s hard to believe that of the millions who are uninsured, only 952 have signed up between January 5 when the program was launched, and Feb 29. Six health insurance providers are offering both preventive and catastrophic coverage under the authorization of the Agency for Healthcare Administration, the Office of Insurance Regulation and the Executive Office of the Governor across all 67 counties in the state.

The monthly payments are as low as $41.64 and at an average of $155, but there are still very few takers for this program, and Governor Charlie Crist and his office are doing all they can to spread awareness and get more people to sign up. Almost anyone between the age of 19 and 64 who has been without medical cover for six months is eligible to sign up and will be provided insurance immediately. Those with pre-existing conditions will be provided cover under a one-year exclusion of those conditions.

Though heavily subsidized, this health insurance program is still not seeing the rush of people that it should, and maybe we have the recent recession to blame for this. Then again, the bare minimum amount would probably not be enough to cover your average medical expenses because you have to pay more for benefits like screenings, visits to the doctor’s office, surgeries and durable medical equipment.

It’s not going to be an easy year ahead, what with the common man subject to rising prices, more job cuts, lower salaries, and higher taxes. I guess you’re lucky though if you work for the state, because one portion of the tax collection, around $44 million, is funding health insurance for state workers. And to prevent them from having to pay more when the premiums increase, Governor Crist is proposing a $13 million increase in taxpayer spending.

Florida is infamous for its high cost of health insurance and there are no limits to the amount that an insurer is allowed to charge for a plan. So the state’s efforts to step in and come out with low-cost policies that offer medical cover to those who have none is a welcome initiative, one that will only be advantageous if more people come forward to sign up.

This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of ultrasound tech schools. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Tags: Cover Florida Healthcare Access Program