Florida Governor Rick Scott Signs Medical Malpractice Reform, Sovereign Immunity, Medicaid HMO and Sovereign Immunity Bills (HB 479, HB 7107, HB 7109, HB 1125, SB 1676, HB 395)
Florida Governor Rick Scott issued a press release on Friday, July 1, 2011, that listed health care-related bills he has recently signed . . . the news release fails to mention the tens of millions of dollars Florida has turned away that otherwise would have supported health care for the State's neediest, such as poor, elderly and indigent . . among the bills the Governor signed included legal protections from lawsuits to Jackson Memorial, Shands Teaching Hospitals and volunteer medical professionals and legislation that will require urgent care centers to make information about the cost of medical services more accessible to patients.
To look up bill information on each of the bills below, go to www.leg.state.fl.us.
Urgent care centers will now be required to prominently display the costs of their 50 most frequently provided medical services. Primary care providers are encouraged to display the same information, and those who choose to do so receive an exemption from the professional license renewal fee and continuing education requirements.
Other bills Governor Scott and legislators highlighted on July 1 include:
· House Bill 479, Medical Malpractice – The bill provides new guidelines regarding medical malpractice litigation in Florida, including additional protections for volunteer team physicians. In addition, medical professionals not licensed in Florida must receive an “expert witness certificate” before testifying in a medical negligence case. Medical malpractice insurance requirements allow more flexibility of coverage for physicians and dentists.
· House Bills 7107 and 7109, Medicaid Managed Care – These bills restructure Florida's Medicaid program to a managed care model. Once a waiver from the federal government is granted, Medicaid will consist of two managed care programs, one for primary and acute care, and another for home and community-based care. The plan ensures patient choice of customized-benefit packages while also helping rein in caseloads and costs.
· House Bill 1125, Florida Health Choices Program – To increase health insurance options for the uninsured, the centralized marketplace for health insurance products created by the 2008 Florida Legislature is expanded to increase employer and vendor participation. By streamlining the approval process of health benefit plans, services, and other contracts, the marketplace will be more effective and user-friendly.
· SB 1676 and HB 395, Sovereign Immunity – The bills grant certain lawsuit protections to both Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and Shands Teaching Hospitals and its affiliates in Gainesville and Jacksonville. In Florida, sovereign immunity limits lawsuits against the government or it agents.
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