Florida health care reforms facing challenges

| 3/28/2017

Florida health care reforms facing challenges

Florida spends more money on health care than anything else, and lawmakers this year are working on solutions to bring down costs and create more access, and choices for patients. The money at stake and rivalries that exist between competing businesses and special-interest groups make it hard for legislators to reach a consensus. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

Hospitals on edge as lawmakers weigh cuts to Medicaid in Florida

The Florida House and Senate have proposed saving the state money by reducing what hospitals get from Medicaid. Including state dollars and the money the federal government kicks in, those cuts range from $300 million to nearly $800 million next year. [Source: Times/Herald]

‘Eyeball wars’ flare again over bill to let optometrists do surgery

The "eyeball wars" have once more descended on the Capitol with a vengeance, as optometrists seek to expand their scope of practice to perform some surgical procedures. Optometrists maintain the proposal is an access-to-care issue, while ophthalmologists argue it would endanger patient safety. More from the Palm Beach Post and Florida Politics.

Floridians and Texans had trouble paying medical bills in 2016, study says

Residents of Florida and Texas were more likely to report having difficulty paying their medical bills in 2016 than those who lived in California or New York, according to a new survey by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund, a health policy think tank and advocate for coverage. See the report here. Also read more at the Miami Herald.

Florida GOP lawmakers play key role in health care bill demise

A small but steadfast group of Florida Republicans helped scuttle their own party’s health care reform proposal. Like congressional Republicans across America, GOP lawmakers from the Sunshine State campaigned on a mantra to repeal and replace Obama’s signature domestic achievement. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida universities push for more mental health funding [WUFT]
Eight of the 12 state universities fall below minimum staffing levels for mental health counselors as the need for counseling services grows on campuses, a new report shows.

› House panel votes to eliminate trauma center limits [Orlando Sentinel]
After years of hospital-industry legal battles about opening new trauma centers, a House panel Monday approved a bill that would repeal limits on the numbers of trauma facilities across the state.

› Future still cloudy after marijuana day in Florida’s Capitol [Times/Herald]
What began as a decisive instruction from voters that patients who need medical marijuana should have access to it is shaping up to be a complex and contentious fight in the Florida Capitol.

› South Florida’s Zika battle plan includes beefing up public labs, mosquito control [Miami Herald]
South Florida's battle plan for Zika, expected to rebound with the rainy season, includes more boots on the ground to inspect and fumigate for mosquitoes, more lab resources to speed up test turnaround times and the promise of a more collegial collaboration between the federal and state governments.

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