Health Insurance Blog

According to the Dayton Business Journal, a state panel rolled out their recommendations for covering Ohio residents who are uninsured.  The report “Covering Ohio’s Uninsured” has been in the works since last summer.

The objective of the proposed plan would cover 500,000 of Ohio’s 1.3 million uninsured by the year 2011.

Some of the recommendations laid out in the report include

1. Extend Ohio health insurance coverage to dependents on group health plans up to age 29.
2. Create a state-sponsored reinsurance program to provide affordable health insurance coverage to uninsured small businesses, sole proprietors, workers and individuals.
3. Provide premium assistance for low wage employees, who could otherwise not afford health insurance
4. Enroll uninsured Ohio residents already eligible for Medicaid into the program, and expand Medicaid eligibility limits to higher-income levels.

A recent press release from Aetna announced the launch of their new line of individual health plans for young adults called BodyGuard which became effective August 1 .  Rates start at $40 per month.

The BodyGuard portfolio of health plans are designed for healthy young adults, a segment of the population that is most likely to go uninsured.  Young adults frequently do not maintain health coverage because of their good health and “invincible” feeling, but should be protected in case of unexpected events such as accident, or sudden illness for example.

Initially BodyGuard will only be available in Illinois, but will expanded to additional states in the future.

In addition to the health insurance coverage, individuals enrolling in BodyGuard will have the option of adding dental coverage for $14 per month

Harry Wessel of the Orlando Sentinel recently reported Gov. Charlie Crist’s “Cover Florida” health plan is likely to fail. Passed by Legislature, this new Florida health insurance plan was designed to help reduce the number of uninsured Floridians. It is estimated that 3.7 million Florida residents do not have health insurance.

Wessel cites a report from the Washington, D.C. based policy-research group Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The low cost health insurance plans offered at around $150 a month typically leave out important benefits, are still too high for low income individuals to afford, and have high deductibles those with low incomes cannot afford should they receive care. Without subsidies, “bare bones” plans like Cover Florida don’t offer a realistic solution.

Wessel’s article can be found in it’s entirety online here http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-health2108jul21,0,294263.story.