Florida Health Insurance To Cover More Young Adults

Last year, about 10 million adults between the ages of 19 and 25 had no health insurance. This is the age group most in need of Florida health insurance. Still in college or new to the work force, few young adults have the chance to get health benefits on the job. According to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that's turning around as the number of uninsured young adults is decreasing. It fell to 9.1 million in the first three months of 2011. A Gallup-Healthways poll also showed that the rate of uninsured young adults fell from 28 percent last fall to 24.2 percent in the second quarter of this year.

The expansion in coverage comes, in part, because teenagers, college students and even college graduates can stay covered under their parents' Florida health insurance plan now. That's not the only option, though. For students going to college out of state, staying on a parent's policy is rarely an option. Few states allow insurance companies from outside the state to sell coverage in their state. If the parents have a group plan through work, adding family members to that plan may drastically drive up out-of-pocket costs for the parents. Group coverage can be very expensive. FL health insurance through the individual plan market may actually cost less.

Florida Health Insurance Is Being Required By More Colleges And Universities

Whether or to get coverage, often is not a choice for young adults who are college bound. Many colleges and universities require student to have health insurance before they can enroll in classes. For students over the age of 19, a pre-existing health problem could be a major glitch. Florida did receive a one-year waiver to allow extra time to comply with federal health care reform, but even when Florida residents have equal protection under the law, those 20 or older could have a hard time getting health insurance for Florida is they have a pre-existing condition. Group plans do accept people with health problems, but individual FL health insurance plans won't be required to accept applications from those with health issues until 2014.

Of course, one solution could be to get a permanent plan while your health makes it easy to get the standard premium price. You can also talk to your college or university about school-sponsored options. Staying on a parent's group coverage is another possibility. In addition, there's also a Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan after health care reform. PCIP is only available to people who have not been able to get coverage due to poor health for six months, though. This program offers a standard version, an extended version and an HSA version of coverage.

If you're not familiar with the term HSA, that refers to Health Savings Accounts. Certain high-deductible health plans allow you to save money with special tax-advantaged accounts. These Health Savings Accounts can grow with tax-free earnings whether you invest your savings in a simple interest-bearing account, in stocks or bonds, or in mutual funds.

You can withdraw HSA money to pay for health care as you need to, or deposit money when it\'s convenient and reimburse yourself at a later for medical bills previously incurred. If you don\'t have medical bills, you can still grow your HSA balance with tax-free earnings. Your HSA contributions can also be taken as tax deductions to lower your taxable income.

With young adults having several different options, it\'s wise to start looking well in advance. Comparison-shopping is still the surest way to find the best value for the money. Florida health insurance plans may have very different rates for similar coverage.


------

By Wiley Long - President, eFLhealthinsurance.com - Florida's best online health insurance agency specializing in Florida Individual Health Insurance plans.  We have personal advisors to help you with your Florida Health Insurance needs.  Get online Florida Health Insurance quotes, compare plans, apply online, and Save!