Crist urges health-care conferees to follow Florida model
By Carol Gentry
9/18/2008 © Florida Health News ORLANDO – Gov. Charlie Crist welcomed 250 public and private-sector officials from around the country Thursday to a one-day conference aimed at repairing the health-care system, urging the crowd to stop using the issue as a political football and start working as a team. “When we keep our eye on that ball, everybody wins,” said Crist, who was a quarterback in high school.
The governor touted the simple, low-cost initiatives aimed at reducing the ranks of uninsured in the state that Florida has adopted since he came into office – requiring physical education in public schools, making drug-discount cards available to the public, extending insurance coverage to autistic children and allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ family coverage until age 30.
He said he’s especially proud of the “Cover Florida” program, in which state officials negotiate with private insurers to come up with different kinds of coverage that are more affordable than standard models because they don’t include as many services. Nine companies have signed up to participate in the program, which Crist said should be rolled out in January.
The state requires participating companies to offer at least one bare-bones plan for $150 a month – hundreds of dollars less than is typically charged for insurance coverage, he said.
“Cover Florida can be a role model for the country,” Crist said. “Maybe Cover Florida can be Cover America.”
