MIAMI (AP) — The troubled Florida Health Choices program launched an insurance exchange Tuesday, after several delays, that is separate from the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
CEO Rose Naff delayed the launch last month after 10 times higher than anticipated interest in the site prompted technology experts to retool the website. But Naff announced they were open for business with a single vendor, which is offering five different plans, including a prescription discount card and bundled discount products that includes vision, dental, telemedicine and prescriptions.
The program is separate from Obama's federal health law and will not offer tax credits. Consumers seeking to buy insurance on the federal exchange who mistakenly end up on Florida Health Choices' site will be directed to healthcare.gov. For now, major insurers have not signed on to offer plans through Florida Health Choices and coverage under the program will not count as comprehensive health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Instead, Florida Health Choices will cater to consumers who don't like the president's law or may be seeking gap coverage, pharmacy discount cards and limited vision or dental plans. The program will add more vendors going forward, which will provide coverage for prepaid health clinics, primary care and outpatient visits. Florida Health Choices also hopes to offer some type of coverage to the roughly 1 million Floridians who make a bit too much money to qualify under stringent Medicaid standards but not enough to qualify for tax credits through the federal exchange.
Naff said she learned from the bungled rollout of the federal health law and delayed the launch several times to ensure the website was ready. Site capacity was increased to handle 30,000 users a day, including 1,000 simultaneous applications, she said.
Critics have complained that Florida Health Choices, the brainchild of former House Speaker Marco Rubio, started in 2008 and still doesn't have a single enrollee more than five years later. But Republicans, many who were eager to an alternative to so-called "Obamacare," have championed the program. Lawmakers have given Florida Health Choices about $1.5 million over the years.
Florida Health Choices hopes to enroll 67,000 consumers in its first year to break even. Naff said she isn't planning to ask lawmakers for additional funds this year.
Florida Health Choices was first established through state law in 2008. Since then, however, little has been done in regards to developing the exchange. Most of Florida’s legislative focus has been committed to opposing the health care reform law, but the state has found little success in this endeavor. State officials suggest that allowing the federal government to manage the health insurance market is dangerous and claim that the state should have more authority over the market. As such, Florida Health Choices is preparing to open itself to the public.