Florida Needs a Boost
April 2008
Fact: There are over 3.8 million uninsured people in Florida.
Governor Charlie Crist wants to make Florida health insurance more available to the 3.8 million state residents without medical insurance coverage. Such a move, if it were successful, would be the best thing that could happen in a state where the majority of the uninsured ranked their hospital experiences as poor.
Florida is a place of contradictions: there are many beautiful hospitals throughout the state that offer care from some of the finest doctors in the world.
Unless, of course, you aren't insured. A recent survey regarding Florida health insurance and medical care found that 83% of those respondents without health insurance report average, to poor care. And, only 61% of those with health insurance policies report favorable, to great experiences.
And medical insurance isn't the only issue at hand, though it is a major contributing factor to overall health care problems. There's also a problem with overcrowding, and concerns about future budget cuts that might make it even more difficult to offer quality care in the state.
Gov. Crist wants to help alleviate some of this burden by offering Florida health insurance at low rates for those who can't afford costly premiums. At about $100 per month, Crist's medical insurance would cost less than half of what the average premium for individual health insurance costs in Florida (roughly $260).
The catch is this: it's very basic insurance. One plan would cover basics such as annual physicals and doctor visits for when patients get sick. The other, a catastrophic plan with a higher cost, would include emergency room treatment, outpatient surgery and hospitalization, but it would still limit the use of certain services to keep costs down.
The legislation is also still waiting to be debated by the Senate budget committee, and such slow progress doesn't bode well either.
But with over $102-million in uncompensated care last year, Florida health insurance needs to change soon, before the state goes bankrupt trying to care for its many uninsured citizens.
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