Florida Health Insurance

In 2004, Florida 's number of uninsured residents under 65 rose from 16.8 percent to 19.2 percent, with the highest increase with middle income groups, especially working families making under $45,000. In Florida , half of the unemployed are uninsured as well as a third of the self-employed. Around 63 percent of those without Florida health insurance cited cost as the major reason in the 2004 survey “Florida Health Insurance Survey”. Hispanics and blacks have the highest rates of uninsurance.

Future Plans for Florida Health Insurance

There are various explanations for these numbers. One reason for the state's uninsured rate is the number of non-citizens in Florida without health insurance—40 percent. Some in this group have not lived in the U.S. long enough to qualify for government health programs, and many work in low-paying service industries. U.S. citizens in the state may be uninsured for a variety of reasons, including low pay.

Children fare better in Florida , whose child health insurance program has decreased the overall numbers of uninsured. Through this program, public coverage is available via Medicaid and other government-sponsored plans. From 2000 to 2003, Florida officially emphasized disease management and reduced Medicaid spending by $90 million. In 2005, Governor Jeb Bush called for increased potential for Medicaid members to direct how their health care dollars are spent . Governor Bush is also seeking to increase the number of providers and services available to patients by encouraging participation from the private health insurance sector in Florida . This plan for Florida health insurance would give private vendors more freedom to create new products and selections for patients. Bush's plan would also allow patients to spend Medicaid dollars on employer-provided services, including flexible spending accounts.

In Florida , the public is encouraged to participate in the improvement of health care and health insurance in Florida on the state level. In 2004, Governor Bush created a governor's health information advisory board. This board was set up to advise the state's Agency for Health Care Administration, with the help of training and input from “ physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, hospital administrators, health insurers, and community groups.” This initiative sought to, among other things, standardize and computerize health information across the state to make it more efficient in its delivery of health care services to the public.

Florida 's department of financial services regulates and oversees health insurers in the state and offers consumer information on Florida health insurance, which you can find at www.fldfs.com/.

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