Florida Gov. Crist Announces Proposals That Aim To Expand Health Coverage, Improve Health Care Affordability
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) on Tuesday announced a package of health care proposals that aim to reduce the number of uninsured state residents and make health coverage more affordable, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Crist said the Cover Florida Health Access Act is among his top three priorities of the 2008 legislative session.
Under the plan, private insurers would negotiate with the state to develop coverage options that include fewer benefits (Kennedy, Orlando Sentinel, 2/20). Insurers that participate in the program would be required to guarantee coverage to adults ages 19 to 64 regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. According to a draft legislative proposal, insurers would be required to provide coverage for annual physician visits, inpatient hospital stays, mammograms, prostate screenings, immunizations, emergency department visits and prescription drugs. Premiums for coverage would be "$150 a month or less," according to the draft plan. Residents could purchase supplemental coverage for vision, dental and cancer coverage (Bousquet/Hundley, St. Petersburg Times, 2/20).
The program could offer catastrophic health coverage that would limit services over a beneficiary's lifetime, as well as a noncatastrophic plan that would cost less and would not include certain services that younger, healthy individuals might choose to drop. The proposal would not impose an individual coverage mandate or require employers to provide coverage to workers.
Crist also proposed expanding KidCare coverage to all children, regardless of family income. KidCare is the state's version of SCHIP. Under the proposal, children in families with higher incomes would pay the full cost of coverage, while children in low-income families would continue to receive subsidized coverage. In addition, Crist proposed increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for dentists by 23% to encourage greater participation in the program. Half of the state's 67 counties have one dentist who accepts Medicaid beneficiaries, and one-quarter of the counties have none (Orlando Sentinel, 2/20). The plan would loosen licensure restrictions for retired dentists (Hollis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 2/20). The plan also would make it easier for dentists who relocate to Florida to obtain their licenses (Royse, AP/Florida Times-Union, 2/19).
In addition, Crist proposed eliminating a requirement known as certificate of need for acute care hospitals, which must show an unmet need before doing business. According to Crist, the regulation stifles competition and delays availability of new beds because of lawsuits (St. Petersburg Times, 2/20).
