Health insurance in Miami among highest

Costs for individual health insurance in the Miami area are among the highest in the nation, according to a survey being released today.



Of 50 cities surveyed, only two were found to be more expensive, said pollsters for eHealthInsurance Services. And both of those cities -- Boston and New York -- have extremely high rates because of laws guaranteeing that any individual must be able to buy health insurance, regardless of physical condition. Florida has no such law.



The survey focused on rates for the largest segment of adult Americans without insurance -- adults 30 and under. For a healthy 30-year-old nonsmoker, a policy with a $1,000 deductible and 20 percent coinsurance costs $151.20 a month in Miami, higher than all cities except Boston ($267.57) and New York ($334.09).



Miami's costs were almost three times that of the cheapest city, Long Beach, Calif., where a policy costs $54 monthly, the survey reported.



The findings echoed the results of other surveys. A 2002 Georgetown University survey found the individual insurance market in Miami was by far the highest in the country. Polls have generally shown that Broward County isn't far behind.



The reason is people spend more on healthcare here. Studies by Dartmouth researchers have consistently found that Medicare costs per capita in Miami are the highest in the country. Studies of usage in the private sector by Aon Consulting also show that people use much more healthcare here.



The largest segment of the uninsured are 25- to 34-year-olds, who account for 10 million, or about a quarter, of all the uninsured, according to U.S. Census data.



''They seem to think they're somewhat invincible,'' said Sam Gibbs of eHealthInsurance, which runs a n eponymous website by that name that gives people information on healthcare rates and offers to sell insurance from 150 carriers. ``And they try to go without health insurance, until something happens. Then they break an arm and end up in ER with bills for $10,000.''



Emily Fox of eHealthInsurance says the average Florida buyer on its website is 34. The company acknowledges that some individuals -- particularly those over 50 with ''pre-existing conditions'' -- can have a harder time getting coverage and could pay more than $1,000 a month in South Florida.



Another reason Miami's costs are high, says Gibbs, is that the Legislature mandates that 51 items be included in health insurance, including bone marrow transplants and home healthcare, which raise prices considerably.