New Florida Law Allows Low-Cost Health Policies

The New York Times ^ | May 22, 2008 | KEVIN SACK

[socialismisinsidious]

Gov. Charlie Crist traveled the length of his state on Wednesday to sign a bill aimed at providing low-cost health coverage to the uninsured by allowing the sale of stripped-down insurance policies.

But the best part, as Mr. Crist, a Republican, explained at news conferences in Miami, Tampa and Tallahassee, is that the law “doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime.”
His initiative, which both houses of the Republican-controlled Legislature approved unanimously, enables insurers to create bare-bones policies that the governor hopes will sell for no more than $150 a month.

The policies would be available to any Floridian 19 to 64 who has been uninsured for at least six months and who is not eligible for public insurance. In a critical provision, insurers would be prohibited from rejecting applicants based on age or health status.

To make the policies affordable, Florida will allow insurers to offer policies that do not include many of the 52 services that standard policies must currently cover, like acupuncture and podiatry. The state added a mandate on Tuesday, when Mr. Crist signed a bill requiring coverage for treating autism.

The low-cost plans have to include preventive services, office visits, screenings, surgery, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment and diabetes supplies.

Some options offered by insurers have to include catastrophic and hospital coverage. But an insurance company could, for instance, choose to limit the number of days of hospitalization it will cover or place a dollar cap on reimbursing certain services.

Thirteen states have statutes allowing bare-bones policies — and Florida has tried them on a pilot basis — on the theory that some health coverage is better than none. The plans have not proven tremendously popular, according to health policy researchers.

[socialismisinsidious]

The plans have not proven tremendously popular, according to health policy researchers.

Why? Is it because people want top of the line for "free"? Is it because we are a society that has to keep up with the Jones? Is it because it's not offered to everyone? and therefore not thought to be 'as good'? Is it because people don't want to take any responsibility for their own health care costs? Who are the health policy researchers and what is their agenda?

[socialismisinsidious]

Socialized Medicine aka Universal Health Care PING LIST

FReepmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this ping list.

[mewzilla]

The plans have not proven tremendously popular, according to health policy researchers.

Snort. Neither are taxes and we still have those...

[goodwithagun]

Acupuncture and podiatry! Give me my free acupuncture and podiatry!

Good grief.

[Sacajaweau]

Chiropractors?? People are using them for massage parlors.

[Psycho_Bunny]

My pharmacist nervously handed me a copy of a letter from my insurance company recently, explaining how they weren't going to cover the tretinoin I use. I said it's fine, that everything in life can't be free.

She looked at me like I'd just asked her dog on a date or something.

The freebie mentality will kill us all.

[PLMerite]

“Give me my free acupuncture and podiatry!”

I’ve got lots of ex-girlfriends who’d be happy to stick pins in me for free...

[dawn53]

In a critical provision, insurers would be prohibited from rejecting applicants based on age or health status.

I don't see how an insurance company can sell a plan that covers much for $150 per month if the person has a pre-existing health condition.

If they do, there must be a major rider of some sort on the policy, even though the article says the policy must cover "preventive services, office visits, screenings, surgery, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment and diabetes supplies."

I have MS, if an insurance "had" to cover me for $150/month, I can't imagine them agreeing to cover the cost of my prescription, they'd be in the hole bigtime, each month.

[Marak]

Anyone have a login for NYTimes?

[pburgh01]

There was a vid floating around on YouTube of some as*hat doofus at one of those Hillary Townhall meetings for the functionaly braindead. One of the questions was basically a whining diatribe by some sweaty 350lb pig of a woman blathering on about her meds which cost 500 bucks a month not being paid for and the Nazi Hillary agreeing with her. Well the video was made by a mole at the meeting showing this fat pig leaving and hopping in the drivers seat of her 2008 Chevy Tahoe with a cig hanging out of her mouth. Most of these slobs just don’t think they should have to pay for anything but porn, cigs and beer.

[Red Badger]

Chiropractors?? People are using them for massage parlors.

And Chiropractors are using people for what people go to "massage parlors" for....

[lakeman]

the theory is if a (pick a number) 100000 people each pay 150 bucks a month 15,000,000 bucks would be paid into the pool that your cost would be paid out of. 100000 woul not be breaking the system each month or shouldn’t if they quit going to the emergency room for a cold. The problem with many insurance policies is the wide variety of coverages that the policy pays for. We need a ala carte type policy so poeple can get what they want and pay for the extras. i’m 45 and have three kids and don’t plan to have any more. why do I need maternity coverage for my wife when we arn’t having any more children. I can’t remove it from my policy though. That’s just one example. If you read your policy and see what it covers you would be amazed at the crap they include that drives the price up.

[dawn53]

I understand the principle of insurance, but it seems to me with this sort of insurance being offered to people that have been w/out insurance for six months, and now can’t be refused because of age or health...this particular group would have higher costs than say an average group, like the group insurance (through an employer) that we use right now.

[socialismisinsidious]

The article was sent to me by someone. I got to it by googling the title.

[nicola_tesla]

The policies would be available to any Floridian 19 to 64 who has been uninsured for at least six months and who is not eligible for public insurance.

Why the conditions ? What is the rationale for the requirement to be uninsured for 6 months ? And why promote public insurance if someone would rather pay for their own ???????

[traviskicks]

Mandates drive up the cost of health insurance tremendously, this FL law is great news and is a step in the direction to expand healthcare for many by removing the burdens set in place by government.

[justiceseeker93]

The problem with this Florida bill is that, although "stripped down" sounds good, there are still too many mandates dictated by the state. There needs to be more freedom to negotiate between the insurer and insured in regard to what is to be covered and what the premium for that coverage should be. Mandates which the customer doesn't want or need are responsible for much of the current "crisis."