Health Insurance e-mail from Crist

[yippie]

Thought this may be of interest. Health Insurance offer. I received this e-mail today.


December 10, 2008

Dear Friends,

Today, Floridians are one step closer to having the a ffordable, quality health insurance options they deserve. This morning, s ix insurers signed contracts with the State of Florida and became authori zed to begin selling Cover Florida benefit options in less than on e month. Beginning January 5, 2009, Floridians who have been looking for health coverage will have the opportunity to purchase a Cover Florida< /i> plan.

For 3.8 million uninsured Floridians, the number-one barrier to accessin g health care is lack of health insurance. If you are one of these Florid ians – or if you know someone who is – I encourage you to lea rn more about Cover Florida. If you have gone without health insur ance, then you know what it means to worry that an illness or accident co uld run up costly doctor and hospital bills. You know what it means to no t see a doctor, even when you suspect a health problem, only to find your self in an emergency room later with a serious medical crisis and an expe nsive bill.

If you are uninsured, Cover Florida gives you the opportunity to take charge of your own health care by getting regular medical check-ups as well as peace of mind. Cover Florida insurer s offer innovative health insurance products to Florida applicants who ha ve been without insurance for at least six months. They are affordable, a nd they are guaranteed – even if you have pre-existing health condi tions. If you have recently lost your employer-sponsored insurance becaus e of job loss or another reason, you can still qualify – and you ca n take your coverage with you if you change jobs.

All Cover Florida benefit plan options include a robu st set of benefits, such as coverage for preventive services, screenings, and office visits, as well as office surgery, urgent care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, and diabetic supplies. The costs of plans vary, depending on your age, gender and whether you choose preve ntive coverage or catastrophic and hospital coverage. Typically, the C over Florida option is considerably less expensive than the insurer&r squo;s standard insurance product.

No tax dollars are required to create the Cover Fl orida health insurance plans. Instead, six private insurance companie s have partnered with the State of Florida to offer 25 health insurance p roducts. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and United Health Care will be available in all 67 Florida counties. In addition, four counties will ha ve further options. Residents of Broward County can also choose Medica He alth Plan of Florida and Total Health Choice. Miami-Dade County also will have Medica Health Plan of Florida, Total Health Choice and JMH Health P lan. Flagler and Volusia counties will have one additional carrier, Flori da Health Care Plans.

I am grateful to the 2008 Legislature for their unani mous approval of the Cover Florida Health Care Access Program. If you do not have health insurance and think you may qualify, I encourage y ou to learn more about Cover Florida by visiting www.CoverFloridaHealthCare.com. It just might be the health insurance you have been looking for.

May God bless you and keep you healthy.

[chanster]

lol those plans are a sham and joke. the united plan for a 40 year old family of 4 is $650 a month annd coverers a platry 10 days a year in the hospital. the blue cross plan covers only 25k a year max.

[yippie]

lol those plans are a sham and joke. the united plan for a 40 year old family of 4 is $650 a month annd coverers a platry 10 days a year in the hospital. the blue cross plan covers only 25k a year max.

Brandon,
When I look at the benefits here -

http://www.CoverFloridaHealthCare.co...oss%20Grid.pdf

I am not finding those figures. Where did you get them? I saw catistropic limits on some things, but I don't see 10 days in the hospital. I see 21 days of rehab, which is more than some policies offer.

Also, the price, I don't see $650.00 anywhere. I don't know where you would get a family plan since this insurance will not cover people under the age of 18 anyway.

Could you point out where you saw that?

Not only that, if you read closely, it is a LOT better for people who have NO insurance. I know there are people who post on this web site who have no insurance who will benefit from this greatly.

Unless, you would rather pay my $970.00 per month premium for coverage for only one person, myself.......

[NotDeadYet]

I looked at the plans on the site yesterday, and Brandon is correct, they are a joke.
I am much better off keeping my current hospitalization only policy. I was hoping for something better, but this sure ain't it. And since you have to be without insurance for six months to qualify, I couldn't switch even if I wanted to, unless I wanted to take the chance of going uncovered for six months and ending up in the hospital, which would bankrupt me.
This reminds me of Crist's property insurance fiasco. A lot of PR and no substance. Thanks to that mess, I lost the great property policy I had for fifteen years when the company decided to pull out of Florida.
I'm sorry you have to pay so much, Yippie. That is why I have hospitalization only, it is all I can afford.

[scooterbug44]

6 months without insurance, then getting minimal insurance seems quite risky to me and the prices seemed pretty high. The no pre-existing conditions is major plus though as it seems to be the major hurdle for many.

Nice that they are trying to do something, but it seems like the insurance industry made out far better than the folks who need health insurance.

[Fishfood]

it seems like the insurance industry made out far better than the folks who need health insurance.

Bingo, what a surprise. This is a big hustle.

Yippie, Regardless of monthly costs, the 50k lifetime limit on benefits and the 25k limit per year almost make these plans a waste of money. They are dangling the prospect of low co-pays, etc. because many people think of their insurance in terms of standard doctor visits, but from a math persepctive this is a huge upside value for the insurers because they are capped with a very low ceiling on the big stuff. These might be OK for some people temporarily, but if that is all they are good for it's the insurers who are making out, likely even better than they normally do.

I'm very dissapointed as I was hoping this would help me too.