mimblr.com

Gov. Charlie Crist made a Southwest Florida swing Thursday to drum up support for his health insurance plan, which he hopes will allow the state’s 3.8 million uninsured residents to buy coverage.
The Senate approved the plan Thursday but Crist said he’s concerned the House may not do the same. The House Policy and Budget Council is scheduled to hear a similar bill next week.
Crist wants to use the state’s bargaining clout to negotiate low-cost plans with insurers. The governor said policies could cost as little as $100 a month.
They will not be subsidized by the state.
“It doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime,” he said.
Crist visited The News-Press editorial board, then drove to Lee Memorial Hospital, which houses the region’s trauma center and an emergency room that sees as many as 200 patients a day, many of whom are uninsured.
The issue is critical for Southwest Florida, which trails only Miami-Dade in rate of uninsured residents. The latest state study, completed in 2004, shows 24 percent uninsured here.
Lee Memorial President Jim Nathan said he expects the figure has hit 30 percent, although there hasn’t been a study to verify that.
Nathan said he’s seen similar proposals elsewhere and said people often don’t buy even lower-priced plans.
“If they’re in that kind of strained income, they don’t buy anything,” he said. “Still I think we should endorse this.”
Nathan said he doubted the plan would include hospitalization at those low premiums, but he hoped they might help residents pay for doctors’ visits and medications and keep them from needing the hospital.
At Thursday’s hospital board meeting, members agreed and unanimously endorsed the proposal.
Lee Memorial spent $60 million last year on caring for the uninsured. That includes charity cases - people with low enough income to pay nothing - as well as patients who are asked to pay at least part of their care.

news-press.com