Floridians suing for medical malpractice could soon see caps on how much money they get

| 1/30/2024

Floridians suing for medical malpractice could soon see caps on how much money they get

Floridians suing over medical malpractice could soon see caps on how much money their pain and suffering is worth. A bill to add those limits cleared its first hurdle in the state legislature on Monday. The bill was introduced to target what critics call Florida’s “free kill” law, which limits who can sue over their loved one’s death from suspected medical malpractice. More from WTSP and the News Service of Florida.

Opioid sales boomed at Publix while other pharmacies settled suits

The volume of prescription opioids dispensed in Florida fell 56% from 2011 to 2019 as the pharmaceutical industry was hit by lawsuits for its role in the national opioid crisis, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis of Drug Enforcement Administration data recently released by a federal court. But while national pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens were dispensing fewer of the highly addictive drugs, Publix’s sales were soaring. More from the Tampa Bay Times and WUSF.

7,000 women came to Florida for abortions in 2023. Key rulings could soon end those journeys.

In total, 1 out of 10 of Florida’s 78,250 recorded abortions last year was done on an out-of-state resident, according to Florida Agency for Health Care Administration data released in early January. The number of total abortions shrank by about 4,000 compared with 2022, but out-of-state residents getting the procedure increased by more than 400. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Bay Times.

U.S. and Canada discuss Florida's drug importation plan as supply concerns linger

U.S. and Canadian officials this month discussed the Biden administration’s approval of a Florida plan to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, which is concerned about safeguarding its drug supply. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a summary Monday about a Jan. 12 discussion between U.S. Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra and Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Trans women in Florida prisons say a new law has upended their health care

Transgender women incarcerated in Florida say that the prison system’s already cumbersome process for providing gender-affirming care has fallen into disarray following the passage of a bill last year championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The law, SB 254, prohibits gender-affirming care for most young people, but transgender people in the state’s prisons say a clause that prohibits the use of state funds for “sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures” is also affecting them. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› ‘You’re risking lives:’ Florida health leaders track hundreds of unlicensed assisted living facilities [Click Orlando]
Florida health officials are tracking hundreds of care facilities that have operated or are currently operating as assisted living facilities without the proper license. A News 6 investigation has uncovered the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration documented 243 locations throughout the state that their inspectors determined were operating without an ALF license. Forty of those locations were in Central Florida, where Orlando had the most followed by Palm Bay, Kissimmee and Ocala. Those are the locations the agency knows about.

› ACA final tally shows Florida with 4.2 million enrollees, the most of any state [Health News Florida]
A record 21.3 million people signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act federal marketplace during the 2024 open enrollment period, according to a final tally announced Wednesday. That includes 4.2 million Floridians, the most of any state and a jump of just under 1 million, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the marketplaces.

› Florida gets an 'F' in protecting residents from tobacco dangers [WFSU]
Florida is failing its citizens in reducing the harms of tobacco products, according to the American Lung Association's 22nd annual State of Tobacco report. Overall, it’s Black Floridians who ultimately are among the most hurt by the use of flavored products, the ALA found. Researchshows that 81% of Black Americans smoke menthol cigarettes. On average, 45,000 Black Americans die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses.

› Florida has low rate of nursing home residents getting new COVID shot [Tampa Bay Times]
Florida’s nursing home residents are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19. But less than a third of them have gotten new vaccines tailored to better combat virus variants — even as deaths and infections continue to rise. The state has the fifth-lowest percentage of nursing home residents up to date with COVID-19 shots in the U.S., according to federal data from the week ending Jan. 14.

Tags: Health Care eNews

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