Florida legislature established a program in January 2009 to help uninsured residents purchase affordable health insurance. Governor Charlie Crist pushed for this law, which offers stripped down health plans that aren’t subject to certain state-mandated benefits. The program, Cover Florida, was considered a political victory by Crist but has not enjoyed such success among uninsured residents.
Cover Florida offers private health insurance for residents that do not qualify for public programs and have been without insurance for 6 months. There are 27 plans that can be purchased averaging $50 a month. Residents with pre-existing conditions cannot be turned down for coverage but have to wait a year before their conditions can be covered.
According to the American Medical Association, the program only had 5,246 people enroll in Cover Florida over the year. With 3.8 million uninsured adults still remaining, the program seems to be a bit of a failure.
So why did so few purchase this policy?
For starters, the state had almost no funds to promote the program to uninsured residents. Also, insurers that sold the policy received little compensation for selling Cover Florida, giving agents little motivation to offer the program.
Finally, the Cover Florida health insurance plans are more appealing for those who have trouble finding insurance, turning off consumers who are eligible for other private insurance policies.
It seems that the Florida legislature is realizing that passing the bill was only half the battle.