Report Says Florida 'Bare-Bones' Health Plans Will Not Reduce Number Of Uninsured Residents

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 23 Jul 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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The "Cover Florida" plan, which offers "bare-bones" health insurance to low-income residents, likely will not reduce the number of uninsured, according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Orlando Sentinel reports. According to the report, "Bare-bones plans provide limited or no coverage for important benefits such as inpatient care, and they often have high deductibles or other cost-sharing charges." The report states, "When low-income people do enroll in bare-bones plans, they face a significant risk of experiencing high out-of-pocket costs."

The report notes that the most limited insurance plans offered in Florida are expected to cost $150 per month, which is unaffordable for low-income residents. "Because most uninsured people have low incomes, they need subsidies to help them afford coverage," according to the report (Wessel, Orlando Sentinel, 7/21).

The report is available online.

Medicaid Pilot Program
In other Florida news, a report by Cleveland State University professor Michael Bond found that a state Medicaid pilot program provides beneficiaries with more products and services and that local physicians are supporting the program, the Miami Herald reports. Under the pilot program, beneficiaries are required to enroll in an HMO or other managed care network and plans are given flexibility to provide tailored health care services to beneficiaries, the Herald reports.

The report -- sponsored by the James Madison Institute, a "free-market think tank" -- found that the program reduced costs by 7.2%, increased access to specialists, provided more than 100 new services, reduced out-of-pocket expenses and helped retain primary care physicians, according to the Herald. The report disputed findings in reports by state Inspector General Linda Keen of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and a Georgetown University research team that were critical of the program, the Herald reports (Jordan Sexton, Miami Herald, 7/19).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

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