South Florida Health Insurance

 South Florida consists of Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, and includes the three major cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The entire metropolitan area has a total population of about five million people. More than twenty percent of these people have no health insurance at all. Over fifty percent of the population is overweight or obese, which can cause companies to charge a higher rate for coverage. With soaring south Florida health insurance rates, many people cannot afford coverage.

There are three basic forms of south Florida health insurance: Group plans, individual plans, and government-subsidized plans. A group plan, which is purchased by an employer or the head of an association, provides coverage to the members of the group. The employer may pay the entire premium himself, or he may require that employees (group members) contribute part of it. Group members have no options to choose and everyone gets the same coverage. No member of a group can be excluded. Under COBRA laws, an employee who leaves the job can continue the group coverage for an additional eighteen months after termination, provided that premiums are paid.

Individual south Florida health insurance is purchased by one person and usually includes the immediate family. Unlike group plans, coverage may be denied by the company if the risk is too high. There are options that an applicant chooses, such as the amount of the deductible, the amount of coverage, the type of coverage, and the copayment amount. Another option is the choice of the company. The cost of identical or similar coverage often varies from company to company.

Government agencies also offer south Florida health insurance. Florida Kidcare is offered to qualified needy families to insure children. The cost is usually fifteen to twenty dollars per month. Florida Medicaid participants may be able to get Florida Kidcare for free if they qualify. In Broward county, hospitals offer free or deeply discounted care for people with no health insurance.