By ECHealthInsurance.com

MIAMI, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ — ECHealthInsurance.com a Florida based health insurance company has spotlighted the month of August as its month to help Floridians. According to Vice President of Marketing Caroline Ehrenthal, “there really wasn’t much to the decision, as August is the only month every year that is open for one man group enrollments, in addition due to the seasonality spikes of Florida our summer is much slower as the population shrinks so dramatically, and finally Medicare enrollments will not start until after fall.”

Thus if you are currently without medical coverage and have been putting off a medical issue as you don’t have insurance or money to pay cash ECHealthInsurance.com (East Coast Health Insurance) is offering its services as a Health Resource Center to help you sign up with the many Florida health programs that most citizens don’t even realize are available. Mrs. Ehrenthal goes on, “Most Floridians don’t realize this, but nationally 30% of the 50 million or so uninsured are eligible for assistance, and due to the depressed Miami market this number will hover closer to 40% in Florida.”

Additionally, with the August open enrollment period for one man groups people should certainly be calling us for advice or a free consultation. Most health insurance brokers won’t even consider writing a one-man group due to the fact there are no commissions paid on them and the health insurance companies certainly don’t like the business or the brokers that write it as it distorts their profit margins. This is because generally one man groups are for the un-insurable or people that pose a higher medical risk and have been turned down for individual plans. Indeed these plans can be significantly more expensive then individual plans, but they are the best option if you can afford them and if you earn too much for a Florida assistance program like Medicaid or a county health plan and have been denied for an individual health plan. They also have a brand new plan for residents of Miami-Dade County, the new Miami Dade Blue plan which can be an affordable life saver.

ECHealthInsurance.com or East Coast Health Insurance is the premier Florida health insurance brokerage with contracts from all major Florida health insurance companies. They have been in business for several years and have an entire staff ready to help you obtain health coverage even to help you apply for social services should you qualify all at no charge to you. You can get free, instant online quotes at our website from all major Florida health insurance companies.

ECHealthInsurance.com/floridaresources.html is their web page for all Florida health programs from Medicaid and Kidcare, to a list of county health plans and their contact information.

    Press Release Contact Information:
    Jeremy Ehrenthal
    Partner
    East Coast Health Insurance
    888-803-5917
    quote@echealthinsurance.com

This release was issued through WebWire(R). For more information visit http://www.webwire.com.

SOURCE ECHealthInsurance.com

The New Miami Dade Blue Plan from www.ECHealthInsurance.com

You can make a difference in the Health Care Reform debate by communicating with your Congressional Representatives while they are at home during August District Work Period.

Florida Health Reform, to reform or not to reform that is the…

Forget it, I would not dare to post a health insurance perspective on health insurance reform.  As a Miami Health Insurance broker this would be tantamount to career suicide.  I’d sooner tell people to apply for Medicaid and the county health plan.  Yes, I already do all of these things so here it is a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida health insurance reform for Miami article for my eyes only.  SHHHH..!

Let’s Work Together for Reform!

Agents, brokers, and private insurers provide valuable services to employers and the over 160 million Americans covered by employer-based private insurance. Just as we have worked together to solve so many health care issues in the past, we must work together now to ensure positive health care reform.

Health plans have proposed comprehensive health care reform to cover all Americans, make care more affordable, and improve quality.  We proposed health insurance reform last year, and support far-reaching initiatives to bend the health cost curve and make care more affordable for individuals, families, and employers.

This is an unprecedented time in our history.  Your participation in the legislative process is critical. August will be a challenging month while Congress is in recess.  Major media and grassroots campaigns are being launched to shape public opinion.  September and beyond will be pivotal as Congress works through multiple bills with a goal of agreeing to one final bill that can go to the President.       

What is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida’s position on Health Care Reform?

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. (BCBSF) supports comprehensive health care reform that will provide universal access, improve quality and safety, and reduce health care cost.
• The key purpose of health care reform is to achieve universal access for all Americans.  Ideally, the nation needs to move from spending 16-18 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to cover 85 percent of Americans to 13-14 percent of GDP to cover 100 percent of Americans.
• To achieve meaningful reform, all parties must commit to significant change in the process of health care delivery and financing.  We must move from an illness model to a wellness model by creating incentives for health care providers to treat the whole patient and not just the illness and by urging everyone to take more personal responsibility for their health.  There needs to be a significant increase in primary care practitioners and payment should move from fee for service to integrated payments with an emphasis on continuous quality improvement and adoption of six sigma processes and clinical practice guidelines.  All partners—physicians, hospitals, insurers and consumers—must work together to control health care expenditures.  Further, malpractice reform is critical to reduce the unnecessary costs of defensive medicine. 
• BCBSF believes that the federal government should provide a safety net for the elderly, the disabled and the poor (below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level) through existing programs. 
• To assure universal coverage, we support an effective, enforceable employer and individual mandate that requires all Americans to assume the responsibility to obtain and maintain health insurance. 
• With mandated coverage, insurers would guarantee to issue coverage to all individuals —with no pre-existing condition exclusions and eliminate the practice of varying premiums based on health status.  Guaranteed issue can only work if everyone is required to obtain coverage – the young and healthy, as well as higher-risk individuals.
• We believe the most effective way to improve the health care system is to build on the employer-based system, and the innovation of the private market, that already provides coverage to more than 160 million Americans.  No new government program is necessary for those who do not fall within the safety net. 

What We Can Do TODAY

It’s simple for us to take action today. You should communicate with our Florida Members of the House of Representatives and Senate. The following are links to the websites where you can find local contact information for the Florida Congressional Delegation.  

Continued……

All contact information for the delegation can be found on their respective web pages:

• House members are listed at http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml 
• Senate members are at http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Your emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings are critical in this discussion.

While Congress is in recess, many are out listening to their constituents. Be a voice in the debate!

• Be a Voice in Congress! Find your Congressional representatives and see when they are holding Town Hall meetings. Attend these meetings, ask questions, and express support for positive health care reform.
• Be a Voice in your Circle of Influence! Send emails explaining key points to your family and friends.
• Be a Voice in your Community! Speak out about the services agents and brokers provide. Explain that your knowledge of the market, the law, and the industry helps employers provide the health care choices that their employees need in today’s economy.

Health Insurance Reform?

Thank you for all that you do. Together, we can have a powerful influence on both our elected leadership, and constituents, to promote the positive change needed in our industry.