PROView - January 2009 - (Page 8) PROActive Florida Rolls out New Health Insurance Plan By Brian Shuford, Director of Governmental Affairs Because they are individual plans, Cover Florida plans According to the program’s website at www. are transferable from one job to another. This should be coverfloridahealthcare.com, Cover Florida will give of great help to REALTORS®. Due to the recent downturn Floridians access to more affordable health insurance in the housing market a number of brokerages have options. The program was created and will operate merged or even closed. Many REALTORS® have therefore without tax dollars, and it is transferred to new offices. If that voluntary for both individuals According to FAR Vice-President of has happened to you, under and employers. This program Cover Florida your insurance Public Policy John Sebree, about is portable, without gap in should be of special interest to self-employed REALTORS® coverage or increased premiums 30% of Florida Realtors® do not such as there would be with a as affordable health insurance have health coverage COBRA plan. Employers may may otherwise be unavailable. also voluntarily contribute to According to FAR VicePresident of Public Policy John the cost of plan and can help set Sebree, about 30% of Florida Realtors® do not have up automatic payroll deduction with pre-tax dollars. health coverage – the primary reason FAR backed the The plans are wide ranging. Both BlueCross BlueShield bill that created the new program. and United Healthcare have preventive care plans Cover Florida plans were selected by the State of Florida as well as catastrophic plans; the average cost for a through a competitive bidding process through which preventive plan about $60 per month. The average six private insurance companies were chosen based on cost for a catastrophic plan is around $160 per month. their proposals. In Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, All Cover Florida plans include benefit options of – at a plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and United minimum – coverage for preventive services, screenings, Health Care will be available. office visits, as well as office surgery, urgent care, hospital coverage, emergency care, prescription drugs, The Cover Florida was designed to be individually durable medical equipment, and diabetic supplies. tailored to be affordable to individuals while at the same time meet their healthcare needs. All Floridians Cover Florida does have several draw backs, and are eligible if they are between the age of 19 and 64 should not be compared with other regular individual and have not had health insurance within the last six or employer paid health insurance programs. There months. Cover Florida policyholders may also purchase are several downsides including high deductibles, individual plans for their spouses and children up to the and limiting the number of days in a hospital that an age of 30. Floridians may also be eligible to purchase insurance company will pay for. It is a very basic health Cover Florida plans under the following conditions: insurance plan, but is better than nothing. • Loss of a job that provided employer-sponsored health benefits • Loss of benefits under COBRA • Death of, or divorce from, a spouse who has provided employer-sponsored health benefits 8 PINELLAS REALTOR® ORGANIZATION January 2009 Governor Crist, with the help and input of the Florida Association of Realtors®, unveiled a new health insurance program for Floridians during the 2008 legislative session. The program, called Cover Florida Health Care Access Program (Cover Florida), is “a comprehensive market-based strategy to address the uninsured in Florida” according to the Governor’s announcement of the new initiative. One particular aspect of this program that separates it from regular health insurance is that you cannot be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. However, Cover Florida plans can exclude payment for treatment of a specific pre-existing condition for one year. After one year, the plan must cover treatment of pre-existing conditions. For more information go to www.coverfloridahealthcare. com http://www.coverfloridahealthcare.com http://www.coverfloridahealthcare.com http://www.coverfloridahealthcare.com http://www.coverfloridahealthcare.com
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