Best Florida Health Insurance Plans
Florida is a U.S. state with Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic on the other. The state has hundreds of miles of beaches and is also renowned for notable arts scenes and its nightlife.
Florida has federally run health insurance marketplace where residents can enroll through HealthCare.gov. In the year 2018, Florida had 1,715,227 enrollees during open enrollment. Florida is known to have fairly robust insurance market and is expected to get more robust in 2020. The insurance companies in the state’s individual market have proposed an average rate increase of 1.2% for 2020, however the proposed rate changes for each insurance company is not listed. The state has rejected federal funding for expanding Medicaid due to which a significant number of the population remain out of coverage and if the state would have expanded medicaid then the uninsured rate would have substantially dropped in Florida.
Highlights and updates
- Open enrollment period in Florida for 2020 coverage will start from November 1 and end on December 15, 2019. After this duration a qualifying event will be required to enroll.
- Insurance companies in Florida have proposed an average rate increase of 1.2% in 2020.
- During the open enrollment period for 2019 coverage, 1.7 million people enrolled in private plans through Florida’s exchange. This turned out to be the highest enrollment in the U.S. and is also a record for Florida’s exchange.
- Short-term health plans in Florida can be sold with initial plan terms of up to 364 days.
- In 2019, the average premium increase is 5.2%.
- Seven insurance companies are offering coverage in 2019 through the Florida exchange.
Cheap Health Insurance Plans in Florida
If you are looking for cheap and affordable health plans in Florida, then find below five cheapest health plans by metal tiers and by health insurance carriers.
AdventHealth GYM ACCESS Catastrophic HMO 1748
Health First of Florida
$198
Monthly Premium for a
40-year old
$8,150 /yr
Deductible
Maximum out-of-pocket
$8,150
Copay
$35 Copay for Primary Care Visit
Gym Access IND Bronze HMO 1340
Florida Healthcare Plan Inc.
$300
Monthly Premium for a
40-year old
$8,150 /yr
Deductible
Maximum out-of-pocket
$8,150
Copay
$30 Copay for Generic Drugs
Oscar Classic Bronze Next
Oscar
$313
Monthly Premium for a
40-year old
$5,500 /yr
Deductible
Maximum out-of-pocket
$8,150
Copay
$50 Copay for Primary Doctor Office Visit
BlueSelect Silver 1443
BlueCross BlueShield of Florida
$405
Monthly Premium for a
40-year old
$7,000 /yr
Deductible
Maximum out-of-pocket
$8,150
Copay
$130 Copay for Primary Care Visit
Gym Access IND Gold HMO H.S.A 9010
Florida Healthcare Plan Inc.
$446
Monthly Premium for a
40-year old
$1,500 /yr
Deductible
Maximum out-of-pocket
$4,000
Copay
10% Coinsurance after deductible for Primary Care Visit
BlueSelect Platinum 1451
BlueCross BlueShield of Florida
$549
Monthly Premium for a
40-year old
$1,000 /yr
Deductible
Maximum out-of-pocket
$3,500
Copay
$15 Copay for Primary Care Visit
Individual and Family Health Insurance Options in Florida
The Florida state offers comprehensive health coverage to cater the health insurance needs of Individuals as well as heir family through a variety of health plans. The healthcare plans like preventive care benefits and wellness programs are focused on help individuals stay healthy and obtain access to healthcare services when required. Individual and family health insurance plans in Florida should have essential minimum coverage to avoid penalty under the individual mandate. Plans for both individuals and families have the same essential health benefits and the plans that cover children through the age of 19 must include dental coverage benefits. Individual and family health insurance plans options in Florida include:
Health Maintenance Organizations Plans
In HMO plans members will be required to choose a primary care physician, who will take care of their healthcare needs. Though, these plans offer less flexibility in terms of physicians or hospital choice compared to other plans but also have lower out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. In HMO plans all health care services of the members go through their primary care physician and they need a referral before seeing specialist or other health care professionals.
Preferred Provider Organization Plans
PPO plans are similar to HMO plans and individuals enrolled in these plans enjoy the same benefits as HMO plans but in these plans they have the flexibility to visit any physicians of their choice. Though, visiting the out-of-network physicians will cost them more out-of-pocket costs.
Point of Service Organization Plans
Members enrolled in these plans are allowed to visit any physician in the network. If they visit out-of-network providers then they have higher deductible and Co-Pays. These health plans allow member save money while having access to more healthcare providers. These plans have similarities with both HMO and PPO plans as like HMO plans member can choose primary care doctors and need referrals to visit specialists when needed and like PPO plans members may receive non-network care but with greater out-of-pocket costs.
Short-term health insurance in Florida
Florida state does not have any state regulations for short-term plans so the new federal regulations are applicable in the state. Insurance companies provide short-term plans for up to 364 days with the option to renew for a duration of up to 36 months. Short-term health insurance plans are designed for individuals who have lost coverage or are coming off some other insurance, as these plans are designed to give health coverage for a limited time-frame. Short-term plans are not guaranteed issue and do not cover any pre-existing conditions and individuals looking for these plans need to answer a series of medical questions in order to obtain the coverage. Short-term plans certainly prove ideal for some conditions as these plans provide fast, flexible, temporary health insurance coverage exactly as per your needs. Individuals can apply at any time for these plans and in many cases get covered as soon as the next day.
Dental Insurance Plans in Florida
Dental insurance in Florida works in the same way as medical insurance. By paying a specific monthly premium residents of the state are entitled to certain dental benefits like regular checkups, cleanings, x-rays along with some other services that are essential to promote general dental health. However, the premium of the dental plans that provide coverage for certain oral surgery, dental implants and orthodontia are higher. Usually the dental plans that offer broader coverage require greater contribution from the insured when services are availed. Dental insurance in Florida is categorized as Indemnity and Managed-care plans:
Indemnity Plans
Indemnity plans offer a wide selection of dental care providers compared to managed care plans. In Indemnity plans the insurance carrier pay for the covered dental service only after receiving the bill which means that the insured have to first pay upfront and then obtain reimbursement from their insurance carrier.
Managed Care Dental Plans
Managed care dental plans have a network of dental care providers who agree to perform services for patients at pre-negotiated rates and they submit the claim to the insurance company on behalf of he patients.
Vision Insurance in Florida
Vision insurance just like dental insurance work exactly like health insurance. Vision insurance plans are discount plans that are available in different types of structures. Some of the plans cover the cost of exams and frames with lenses but the premium of such plans are high. To cater the need of budget-friendly people that state also has some less expensive plans too. Most of the vision plans in Florida are structured like PPO plans in which you will have access to coverage both in-network and out-of-network eye care provider. Though, out-of-network coverage may be limited and may prove more expensive for the insured whereas in-network eye care services can be availed at discounted rates.
Medicare Plans in Florida
Insurance Carrier in Florida
Below is a list of health insurance carriers offering plans throughout the state in 2019-2020.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
Molina
Health First Health Plans
Oscar Health
Bright Health Insurance Company
Ambetter
Cigna
Florida Blue HMO
Florida Health Care Plan Inc.
FAQ on Florida Health Insurance
With the federal tax penalty being waved off it is no more required for the individuals to have health insurance but still, they have to report their coverage status on their federal tax return. However, some of the states have passed their own health insurance requirements but Florida has not passed its own health requirements. Albeit, the Affordable Care Act requires you to have minimum essential coverage. There is a big disadvantage of not having health insurance so you should make an effort to have proper coverage so that you keep yourself protected for sudden medical emergencies.
Florida uses the federally facilitated marketplace and hence residents of the state enroll through HealthCare.gov. Residents of Florida have different health insurance options, as right from individual health plans, to employer-sponsored health plans, along with government-funded programs like Medicare, CHIP, and Medicaid. Individuals can directly purchase these plans through Healthcare.gov or can purchase through health insurance portals.
Yes, short-term health insurance plan is available in Florida and residents of the state can have short-term plans with the initial plan terms of up to 354 days and people have the option to renew the plan for a total duration of up to 36 months.
In the year 2020, there are nine health insurance carriers operating in the state, thereby residents have a wide range of choices in terms of health plans. The health insurance carriers functional in 2020 in Florida are:
If you are looking for the best and affordable health insurance options in Florida, then you will find many cheap plan options on the health insurance marketplace. The average cost of health insurance in 2020 in Florida is $554 per month for a 40-year old, which is a decrease of 4% from 2018. Blue Cross Blue Shield provides the best rates in most of the counties of Florida and the BlueOptions Silver 1410 is a Silver plan having the lowest premiums in most of the Florida counties.