Report Says Florida ‘Bare-Bones’ Health Plans Will Not Reduce Number of Uninsured Residents
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 Florida Health News/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 Florida Health News/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 Florida Health News/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 Florida Health News/Herald reports (Jordan Sexton, Florida Health News/Miami Herald, 7/19).
