From Florida Blue
More than 460,000 uninsured Floridians qualify for health insurance that’s $0 each month! Surprised?
Here are a few more health insurance facts that may surprise you.
Many people find health insurance confusing, expensive, or out of their reach. For those reasons, and others, they may not have any kind of health insurance to help keep them and their families healthy and protected from expensive medical bills.
Here are eight facts to help simplify health insurance – and maybe help you realize it’s easier to get and less expensive than you think.
- The state’s leading health insurer, Florida Blue, estimates that more than 460,000 people in Florida are uninsured even though they qualify for health insurance that’s $0 each month, thanks to financial assistance. That’s right – people are missing out on insurance that would cost them nothing each month. Are you one of them?
- Think health insurance is always expensive? Think again. This year, 9 out of 10 people could pay $10 or less each month for insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace, sometimes called Obamacare, thanks to financial assistance, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
- In Florida in 2023, 97% of people enrolled in an individual or family health plan through the Marketplace received help from the government that lowered their monthly insurance bill.
- When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was created, nearly 50 million people in the United States didn’t have health insurance. In 2022, that number dropped to 27.6 million Americans. Plus the federal government increased the amount of financial assistance you can get to help lower your monthly bill (also called a subsidy.)
- The average three-day hospital stay is $30,000, according to Healthcare.gov. No one plans to get sick or injured, but unfortunately, it will likely happen to each of us at some point during the year. And you could be on the hook for the full cost if you don’t have health coverage.
- Florida has more people enrolled in health insurance through the Marketplace than any other state in the country. More than 3.2 million people have signed up for a Marketplace plan in our state, including some of your friends, family, and neighbors.
- There are thousands of licensed health insurance agents and navigators across the state who will charge you nothing for their expert guidance. You can find agents and navigators in your local community who can help you determine which health insurance plan is right for you and your family, enroll in a plan and apply for financial help — and you should never be charged for their help.
- Getting a Marketplace subsidy won’t impact your immigration status. Financial assistance for health insurance (also called a subsidy) isn’t just for U.S. citizens. Many lawfully present immigrants qualify for help paying for insurance through the Marketplace, including green card holders and those with work or student visas. And receiving this financial help will not negatively impact your immigration status and process due to the public charge regulations, which were eliminated in March 2021.
If you have questions about how health insurance works or where to find help signing up for plan, check out GetCoveredFlorida.com.
Based on actuarial analysis of the 2019 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS), with adjustments due to Covid-19 of Florida’s Medicaid Growth from the Agency for Health Care Administration, individual enrollment growth from CMS’ 2022 Open Enrollment Report and job losses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
https://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/marketplace-products/2023-marketplace-open-enrollment-period-public-use-files
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/06/22/fact-sheet-what-happens-premiums-if-extra-help-american-rescue-plan-expires.html
https://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/marketplace-products/2023-marketplace-open-enrollment-period-public-use-files
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2023/202305.htm#:~:text=Highlights%20from%20the%20report%20include,or%203.7%20million%20in%202019
https://www.healthcare.gov/why-coverage-is-important/protection-from-high-medical-costs/
