Florida Health Insurance Gives Free Preventive Care

By 2010, three times as many people had switched to health plans with deductibles of $1,000 or more compared to 2006. While this type of health insurance in Florida can cut premiums by a couple of hundred dollars a month, savings can be overshadowed by future medical debt and severe health problems.

As Kristen Cameron put it: "I don't have health insurance with my $17,000 deductible. Since people without health insurance have been dying more often in hospitals than patients with health insurance, I got a high-deductible plan as insurance against being left to die after the ambulance got me to the hospital. I don't have access to health care, much less preventive care, because nothing is covered until I pay $17,000."

Kristen's option to maintain minimal coverage by switching to a high-deductible plan and sacrificing preventive care has become common. As the CEO at Memorial Healthcare explains, "People are deferring seeking medical care. They're not doing preventative health care."

CEO Jim Full worries that, "Because they're delaying…they're coming to the emergency room or they're in the hospital and they're in worse shape." His hospital has seen a $1 million increase in care provided on a "charity basis" for those who could not pay for medical care just since 2007.

Health Insurance In Florida Drops Deductibles On Preventive Care

Hopes are high that this trend will start to reverse in 2011 now that health insurance for Florida must cover recommended preventive services before the plan deductible is met. In addition, you won't have out-of-pocket charges for co-insurance or co-pays.

Unfortunately, preventive care is only covered when you get Florida health insurance after the passage of health care reform. Older plans are not required to upgrade coverage, and new plans may have higher premiums. Still, it may be worth worthwhile to prevent serious future health problems and medical debt.

Depending on your age, you may be entitled to a wide range of services that could preserve your health, including tests to catch high blood pressure or cholesterol. Cancer screening procedures, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, are also now covered.

In addition, you can get nutritional counseling and screening tests for high blood sugar problems that indicate pre-diabetes. Need to stop drinking alcohol or stop smoking? Florida insurance plans also cover counseling assistance for those problems as well as weight loss assistance under preventive care services.

Why Monitor Florida Insurance Plans' Coverage On Preventive Care?

While new preventive coverage applies to both Florida insurance plans on the individual market and coverage through employment, billing details can reduce the coverage you're entitled to receive this year.

You'll probably have to get new coverage because older plans that are "grandfathered in" may not offer preventive care without out-of-pocket charges. In addition, health insurance for Florida often restricts you to a specific network of doctors and hospital. If you go out of network for preventive care, charges may be applied.

Even when you use in-network providers for the recommended preventive services that should be covered, how the doctor bills may increase your costs. If preventive care is not separated from other services that are not covered with no out-of-pocket charges, you may be charged for the preventive services, too. Check with your Florida health insurance provider to clarify the rules before you schedule appointments for preventive care services to ensure you get the most from this year's preventive care promises.


------

By Wiley Long - President, eFLhealthinsurance.com - Florida's leading independent online health insurance agency specializing in individual and family Health Insurance plans in Florida.  Get online health insurance quotes for Florida, compare Florida health insurance plans, apply online, and Save Money!