Legislature makes some good health care choices

Three developments over the past week provide a boost to Florida's health care.

Just a few days ago, the Republican-dominated Legislature looked heartless for chopping out money from the budget that served our frailest and poorest residents.

But lawmakers finally saw the light. Of political reality.

Under intense lobbying by social service, hospital and patient supporters, who delivered 16,500 petitions to the Capitol on a gurney, legislators did an about-face and agreed to spend $300 million on two programs that serve 40,000 sick and disabled people.

State budget negotiators did that without raising taxes or fees but by tapping the Lawton Chiles Tobacco Endowment for Children and Elders, something Gov. Charlie Crist has been urging for months.

That's the right move in this terrible economic climate. While there are legitimate concerns over using the endowment to bail out lawmakers without a guarantee that the money will be replaced, we cannot afford to abandon seriously ill and poor people. Society would still end up paying to some degree, through emergency room visits and other desperate measures.

The $300 million will fund the two programs - Medically Needy, for poor residents with catastrophic illness or injury, and Meds AD, for disabled people over the age of 65 who earn a bit too much to qualify for Medicaid - for one year.

State law only allows the endowment, which currently holds $2.4 billion, to be used for health programs. Former Gov. Chiles won a settlement against cigarette makers in 1997 that is expected to yield as much as $13 billion over 25 years. The state has never dipped into principal, only spending interest.

While that policy will change now - and lawmakers insisted early in the current session that they would not tap any of the state's $5.5 billion in reserves - this year's fiscal emergency merits that action.

Crist scored another victory when the House followed the Senate in passing the governor's health insurance plan, which will dangle bare-bones coverage in front of the state's 4 million uninsured residents.

Many might not be able to afford even cheaper health insurance, but at least options will be available. That's a winner.

The measure removes regulatory shackles from insurance companies, allowing policies that do not cover all illnesses as now required by state law. The state would negotiate with insurance companies on a variety of policies covering emergency care, hospitalization, prescription drugs and other treatments but not transplants, some disease screenings and other procedures.

A variety of stripped-down plans could cost as little as $150 a month. The coverage could appeal to small businesses, too, quite an improvement over no employee coverage at all.

Our congratulations to Crist for winning passage of one of his top goals.

The third promising development arms consumers with more information - on pricing. While we compare costs before buying televisions, clothes and food, we find the possibility of price shopping for a colonoscopy and 150 other common medical procedures intriguing.

The Senate took up consideration of a bill that would require hospitals to post pricing information on a state Web site. This would create transparency in the health care industry, a very good thing, and hopefully competition over pricing.

Hospitals would also be required to give uninsured patients a cost estimate for nonemergency care along with information on discounts and available charity programs.

The House is looking at a similar proposal.

We support any measure that puts more information into the hands of consumers. Greater transparency will benefit Floridians.

Talk back

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Health care boost