According to Gov. Charlie Crist's office:

This legislation focuses on market-based initiatives and reforms and contains NO individual mandates and NO employer mandates.

Announces competitive negotiation with private insurers to develop consumer choice benefit plans, per specified criteria.

Plans must guarantee coverage to uninsured Floridians age 19 to 64 and must offer multiple benefit options.

Plans must include a robust package of preventive, primary and urgent care benefits, including hospitalization.

Permits competitive negotiation with carriers for supplemental coverage for vision, dental and cancer.

Provides $500,000 for a public awareness campaign.

Permits employers to offer and share the cost of consumer choice benefit plans with their employees. This proposal establishes consumer choice benefit insurance plans at $150 per month or less.

Creates the Florida Health Care Access Program for a three-year pilot program ($21 million per year or $63.9 million total)

The pilot program is a partnership among hospitals, county health departments and health care providers for primary health care services and outreach in neighborhoods with high rates of uncompensated care and uninsured.

The 14 counties in the pilot program consist of Alachua, Broward, Duval, Escambia, Gadsden, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Santa Rosa and Sarasota.

A county health department visit costs on average $153 for primary care services versus an average of $1,015 in an emergency room, for a cost savings of $862 per visit.

Removes the 10% “full pay cap” in KidCare.

By lifting the cap on full-pay enrollment, all children in Florida will become eligible to purchase health insurance through the KidCare program.

Ensures that policyholders can keep dependents covered until age 30.

Non-student dependents typically lose coverage on their parents’ policy at age 19. Many parents wish to continue providing coverage for children after age 18.

Renews Florida Health Flex Plans (removes sunset) and removes income eligibility restrictions.

Currently, Floridians must earn below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level to qualify. This will increase plan participation and provides individuals with additional health insurance options.