HOUSE Highlights HB 899 - Insurer Disclosures on Prescription Drug Coverage Rep Karen Gonzalez Pittman, R Tampa - Requires all amounts paid for prescription drugs by patients or on their behalf to be counted toward their total cost-sharing requirements, preventing insurers and PBMs from pocketing the profit versus using to lower the patient's out-of-pocket drug costs.
- Introduces non-medical switching protections that require health insurers to provide advance notice of any formulary changes, ensuring patients and their healthcare providers are adequately informed and can effectively plan, when appropriate, to file a notice of medical necessity if the formulary change would be detrimental to a patient's care.
READ MORE FAVORABLE by Health Professions & Facilities - 1 remaining committee stop ________________________________________ HB 229 - Health Facilities Rep Vanessa Oliver, R Punta Gorda Expands the types of health facility corporate structures authorized to pursue financing from a Health Facilities Authority (HFA), and expands the types of financial activities HFAs may engage in for the benefit of health care facilities and providers. Amended to require a nonprofit hospital to provide notice, 120 days prior to closing a hospital, to the Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners and other health care facilities and health care professionals, and requires the notice to include specified information. Prohibits a corporation from receiving a charitable property tax exemption, for all licensed hospitals under such corporate ownership, if the corporation closes one of its hospitals with an emergency department and does not open a new emergency department within 120 days, and within a 10-mile radius of the hospital closure. These provisions apply retroactively to January 1, 2025, and first apply to the 2025 tax roll. This amendment was in response to the closing of the Rockledge Hospital, now owed by Orlando Health, and the amendment was sponsored by Rep Tyler Sirois, House Majority Leader. READ MORE FAVORABLE by Health & Human Services - No remaining committee stops SB 68 Ready for full Senate consideration ________________________________________ HB 649 - Autonomous Practice by a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Rep Mike Giallombardo, R Cape Coral - Expands the scope of practice for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) in Florida, allowing for autonomous practices under certain conditions.
- Exempts autonomous advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) certified as CRNAs from requiring onsite medical direction when administering anesthesia, subject to facility protocols.
- Permits CRNAs, whether operating under a protocol or autonomously without one, to perform tasks such as assessing patient health risks, determining anesthesia type, ordering preanesthetic medication, and administering various anesthetic techniques.
- Allows CRNAs practicing autonomously under section 464.0123 to perform all acts authorized within their specialty without an established protocol.
- Enables APRNs registered for autonomous practice to engage in primary care, place special venous and arterial lines, and manage patient care in health care facilities autonomously, with abilities to admit, manage, and discharge patients.
- Grants autonomous APRNs the power to sign documents that are typically required to be signed by physicians, with certain exceptions.
READ MORE FAVORABLE by House 77-3 SB 718 still in first committee of reference ________________________________________ HB 1617 - Stem Cell Therapy Rep James Buchanan, R Sarasota - CS/HB 1617 authorizes allopathic and osteopathic physicians to perform stem cell therapies that have not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relating to orthopedics, wound care, and pain management.
- Establishes the type of stem cells that may be used and the type of facilities from which a physician may obtain stem cells.
- Requires physicians to provide notice and informed consent to patients receiving non-FDA approved therapies and provides for discipline for violations.
READ MORE FAVORABLE by Health Professions - 1 remaining committee stop SB 1768 has 2 remaining committee stops ________________________________________ HB7027 - Hemp Consumable THC Products Committee bill by Housing, Agriculture & Tourism - Amends and creates definitions for certain terms under the state hemp program
- Creates new regulations and limitations for the sale of hemp consumable THC products in the state;
- Creates new regulations for delivery sales of hemp consumable THC products to consumers in the state;
- Makes all hemp consumable THC products sold, offered for sale, delivered, or distributed in violation of the state hemp program and the delivery sales requirements for hemp consumable THC products, contraband;
- Prohibits the ingestion of hemp consumable THC products near schools;
- Authorizes the Division of Alcoholic Beverages, housed within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, to take certain actions against tobacco retailers’ and nicotine product dealers’ permits for violating the state hemp program or the delivery sales requirements for hemp consumable THC products.
READ MORE FAVORABLE to file as a Committee Bill SB 438 Placed on Special Order for full Senate consideration ________________________________________ HHB 1517 - Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child Rep Sam Greco, R Palm Coast CS/HB 1517 expands Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow the parents of an unborn child to recover monetary damages from a person who is responsible for the unborn child’s death. Clarifies that such wrongful death action may not be brought against the mother for the wrongful death of her own unborn child or against a medical provider for lawful medical care provided in compliance with the applicable standard of care. READ MORE FAVORABLE by Judiciary and on Special Order for full House consideration SB 1284 favorable by Judiciary- 2 remaining committee stops ________________________________________ HB 5015 - State Group Insurance Rep Vicki Lopez, R Miami Establishes and amends regulations regarding state group health insurance: - Modifies state group health insurance plan, mandating that copayments for prescription drugs are set annually in the General Appropriations Act
- Removes requirements allowing for the inclusion of certain excluded drugs under specified circumstances in the state's prescription drug program formulary.
- Updates the dates for formulary management and coverage for new market drugs, setting new implementation and reporting deadlines to 2026 and 2025, respectively.
READ MORE On Special Order in House ________________________________________ HB 1181 - Motor Vehicle Insurance Rep Danny Alverez, R Tampa HB 1181 repeals the personal injury protection (“PIP”) coverage requirement under Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law and increases the minimum bodily injury liability coverage limits from $10,000 per person and $20,000 per incident to $25,000 per person and $50,000 per incident. Moving to a mandatory bodily injury system delays payments to health care providers until fault is determined. READ MORE FAVORABLE by Banking & Insurance - 1 remaining committee stop SB has not been heard in first committee of reference ________________________________________ HB 815 - Patient Referrals by Medicaid Managed Care Organizations and Managed Care Plans Rep Basabe, R Miami Beach - Requires the Agency for Health Care Administration to contract for an analysis of managed care plan referrals to affiliated organizations.
- Mandates collection, compilation, and analysis of data to determine ownership, controlling interests, or profit-sharing between managed care plans (excluding provider service networks), their subcontractors, and service providers or provider organizations within the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program.
- Requires a further analysis to assess the extent of patient referrals or steerage to affiliated service providers, including a cost comparison with services provided by non-affiliated providers.
- Specifies that a comprehensive report on these analyses must be submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by July 1, 2026.
READ MORE FAVORABLE by Health Facilities - 1 remaining committee stop | 
Florida Women in Nephrology Chair
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