Just 30 uninsured Floridians have signed up for policies on a 6-month-old health, state-backed insurance website, according to the Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau.
This past spring, legislators approved $900,000 for the Florida Health Choices project, while declining to expand Medicaid health coverage for 764,000 poor state residents, the Times/Herald reports. Supporters of the state program blame the Affordable Care Act’s federal healthcare.gov website for the dismal numbers.
Healthcare.gov provides comprehensive health insurance plans, often with income-based subsidies. The Florida website offers specialized, discount policies for dental care, prescription drugs and such for people falling into the health insurance “coverage gap,” the Times/Herald reports.
Florida Health Choices executive Rose Naff adds that little of the $900,000 has been spent, partly because of problems with the website vendor, according to the Times/Herald.
