Uninsured Floridians should not hold their breath for coverage

The Cover Florida program was recently passed by the state Legislature, and will offer low-cost, bare-bones medical policies to the 3.8 million people without coverage. The plans, however, will not be out until 2009 and even then may be of limited value, say insurance experts. Few uninsured people have bought similar policies already on the market because the coverage is so minimal, insurance specialists said. Some critics say the program may even lead to employers cutting costs by substituting a stripped-down plan in place of better coverage they now offer.