Will Florida Health Insurance Live Up To Health Care Reform?

Health care reform aimed at making medical care available to more people. The goal was to save lives and stop throwing money away on last-ditch E.R. measures by giving people access to preventive care. Why is Florida one of 25 states fighting the health care reform law?

Three federal judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals heard three hours of heated oral arguments. The panel went on to consider if they should contest the entire health care law or only a part of it. Last January, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson of Florida ruled that the entire law should be invalidated. According to Vinson, the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and the individual mandate is illegal. He said that the health care reform law exceeds Congressional power to regulate interstate commerce.

During hearings, U.S. Solicitor Neal Katyal said that the judges would be making a "deep, deep mistake" by contest the entire law. According to Katyal, parts of the health care reform law should survive. He says Congress has the right to intervene and regulate commerce with $43 billion in medical costs for uninsured Americans seeking medical care every year.

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act insist that imposing penalties to encourage people to get Florida health insurance is not the solution to the growing problem of uninsured Americans. Judge Frank Hull stated that the rolls of the uninsured could be lessened in other ways. For example, he suggested expanding Medicare discounts for seniors and making it easier for people with pre-existing health conditions to get FL health insurance coverage.

In the face of attempts to reduce Medicare, it seems unlikely that Medicare discounts will be expanded in our time. As to making it possible for people with pre-existing conditions to get coverage, spreading the cost for those needing more health care among a large population that requires less expensive medical treatment remains the most successful way to help people with deteriorating health get affordable coverage.

By 2014, the mandate to carry health insurance will require many to carry FL health insurance or face penalties. The penalty starts at $95 for the first year and then increases to $695 by 2016 and beyond. Not everyone will have to buy coverage is they don't have the income to do so, though. People who cannot afford coverage, such as those with below tax filing threshold incomes, will be eligible for assistance to pay for premiums.

Certain Types Of Florida Health Insurance Can Give Low-Premium Coverage Now

Whether the appeals court repeals the law or not, the public needs FL health insurance plans right now. The least expensive Florida Health Insurance plans have certain things in common that shoppers can use to find low-premium options.

The plans that have co-pays to see a doctor or to fill a prescription typically run higher than plans where you have a deductible to meet each year before anything beyond recommended preventive care is covered. That is a big problem for people with pre-existing conditions so the federal government has gotten behind programs to make coverage available to adults with health problems this year. The health care reform law has already guaranteed coverage to children with health problems and it promises to expand that guarantee to adults by 2014.

For adults in good health, the existing Florida health insurance plans with deductibles are a viable option because preventive services to check for budding health problems remain covered without being subject to a deductible. Vaccinations to ward off flu are covered as well.

For medical care beyond recommended preventive care, plans with deductibles are no help. PPO plans, a type of managed care, can help because charges for doctors who participate in the network are significantly lower than what it costs to see an out-of-network doctor.

Another option to get more from high-deductible Florida health insurance is to use a plan that allows opening a Health Savings Account, known as an HSA. Even though these accounts are called savings accounts, contributions can be invested in bonds, mutual funds or stocks. Of course, a regular interest-bearing savings account is also an option.

Regardless of how HSA funds are invested, the money earns tax-free interest like an IRA. Not only can the savings be used to cover traditional medical care until the deductible is met, but it can also be spent for things not covered under FL health insurance, such as dental care and homeopathy.

Until the future of our health care law is known, Florida residents can use deductible plans, PPO plans and Health Savings Accounts to maintain health insurance for Florida with premiums on the low end.


------

By Wiley Long - President, eFLHealthinsurance - Health Insurance Advisors in Florida - Offering online information on health insurance plans in Florida, instant quotes on Florida Health Insurance plans, and personal assistance for all your Florida Health Insurance needs.