Health Care Reforms: Implications for Florida Residents

Health insurance carriers in Florida can no longer impose life time caps on the health insurance policies they offer. This is a sort of boon for those subscribers suffering from chronic health problems like cancer or heart failure, since they might find themselves bereft of any money to spend after the insurance expires. The act also enables the parents in Florida who have group health insurance policies through their employers to get continued coverage for their children till they are married. With the state of unemployment soaring sky-high among young adults, this provision has come as a great advantage for Florida citizens subscribing to health insurance policies.


Laws have also mandated that the health insurance policies in Florida must offer coverage to certain preventive healthcare services including diagnosis for osteoporosis in women above the age of 65 years in addition to other healthcare services including smoking cessation interventions and counseling, diagnosis for high blood pressure, colonoscopies and screening for diabetes and sexually transmitted diseases. Earlier, senior citizens had to pay a pre-defined part of the expenditure towards healthcare treatments in Florida. The laws have mandated these preventive services to be given to the health insurance subscribers in Florida free of cost. People reported with serious illnesses and consequently denied of health insurance coverage in Florida can purchase a health insurance policy from the high risk pool maintained at a government-subsidized exchange. The cost of premiums under this arrangement will be almost similar to those paid by healthy subscribers. 

With effect from 2014, those without a health insurance policy in Florida will have to pay a penalty. Those subscribers who do not qualify for government subsidies will have to pay around $5,000 per year for a policy purchased on the exchange, while families can expect to pay about $15,000. Subsidized health insurance plans are made available in Florida and a typical health insurance policy meant for a family consisting of four members will come with premiums ranging from $1,300 per year up to $8,400 per year.

If they happen to get sick suddenly, the health insurance subscribers in Florida need not lose the coverage. They can also be not denied a new health insurance policy on account of a pre-existing health condition. On the basis of a diagnosis of an instance of breast cancer, no health insurance carrier in Florida can deny health insurance coverage to the subscribers starting from 2014. In addition, health insurance firms in Florida cannot deny the applications of a subscriber unless a clear case of fraud is proved like the non-disclosure of an earlier diagnosis of cancer.

With the healthcare reforms in the US enabling millions of Americans get quality healthcare, insurers in Florida can expect to undergo longer waits to see a new doctor. This is because there is no concurrent increase of healthcare professionals in proportion to the enhanced amount of healthcare made available to the citizens in the country. This problem can only be averted by increasing the number of health care professionals.