Recommended Initiatives
Important Issues
Recommended Initiative 5:
Mandated Benefits & Increasing Consumer Choice
Related News | Policy Papers & Articles | Web ResourcesCreate initiatives to lower the cost of health insurance, such as giving people more benefit options, reducing state mandates, and/or coupling health care savings vehicles with high deductible insurance products. These products would help make the patient co-responsible and actively engaged in health care decisions. *
Benefit of Recommended Initiative 5
The benefit of developing a series of coverage options, including a very basic package, would mean more people, especially small employers and self-insured individuals and their families, would be able to afford health care coverage. An approach that also requires more engaged consumer health care purchasing behavior translates into more rational use (less overuse) of the health care system, which again benefits all.
*Florida has already enacted laws requiring a review of proposed health benefit mandates that focuses on fiscal impact, medical efficacy, impact on access to services, and the costs and utilization of the proposed benefit. However, Healthy Florida Foundation strongly recommends that there be a review process to evaluate the existing 51 mandates in the State of Florida through the use of field hearings and financial analysis to determine the impact on payers. Based on the findings of that review process, the state should draft and implement legislation that repeals specific mandates that are judged to be excessive.