Florida ranks low for children's health care

| 4/25/2017

Florida ranks low for children’s health care

Florida is ranked one of the worst states for children’s health care, according to a study by WalletHub.com. On Monday, the website published its research, listing Florida 37th for overall children’s healthcare in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. WalletHub said its analysts compared four categories: children’s health and access to health care, nutrition, physical activity and obesity, and oral health. More at Florida Trend and the NWF Daily News.

See the full report:
» Wallethub's 2017’s Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care

Federal aid to combat opioid crisis coming to Florida

Florida will receive $27 million in funding from The 21st Century Cures Act to help combat the ongoing opioid epidemic in the state. The news, which was announced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Longboat Key) on Friday, means that the amount of money to be allocated to the Sunshine State from the legislation is only behind California and Texas. [Source: Bradenton Times]

Florida primary care physicians: Health care plans must have prevention

Any health care program implemented by Congress or the state must include affordable preventive health care for all, said Dr. Joy Jackson, the Polk County Health Department director and chair of the Florida Department of Health’s statewide committee on Pharmacy and Therapeutics. [Source: Florida Politics ]

U.S. high court won't review WellCare Ex-CEO fraud conviction

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by former WellCare Health Plans Inc Chief Executive Todd Farha of his 2013 fraud conviction for his role in a scheme to cheat the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor. Farha and other executives of Tampa, Florida-based insurer WellCare were indicted in 2011. Full story from Reuters, here.

Florida nursing homes rally against state elder care changes

With two weeks left in the legislative session, some Jacksonville elder care providers are rallying supporters against a Senate-proposed change to how nursing homes are funded. Most nursing home residents are on Medicaid and Medicare, and currently homes bill the state for the care they’ve provided. Story from WJCT.org, here.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Venice hospital fight highlighted as deregulation bill passes House [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
New hospitals – including two proposed in southern Sarasota County – could be built without permission from the state under legislation that passed the Florida House last week.

› Scientists: Trump budget cuts would devastate medical research in South Florida [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would devastate medical research in South Florida, hurting efforts to combat Zika, opioid addiction, cancer and other diseases, local scientists warned last week.

› Florida corrections officials scrap prison health contract [Miami Herald]
Citing shortcomings in mental-health services at a South Florida prison, state corrections officials are terminating a contract with a private healthcare provider months before the deal was set to expire.

› UF Health’s newest hospitals take pains with details [Gainesville Sun]
A media tour of the UF Health Heart and Vascular Hospital and the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital was given Thursday to show off the $415 million facilities expected to open at the end of the year.

» Go to page 2 for more health care stories in your region

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