|
Second Update for the 2005 Session
Latest from Tallahassee
By Jack
Hebert, Dir. of Govt. Relations
and Paul Lambert, General Counsel
The third and fourth weeks saw action on only a few of the bills
that the FCA is following. Most bills are still being considered
at the committee level. Bills addressing Medicaid reform continue
to be filed and considered by appropriate committees.
The FCA continues to closely monitor all new Medicaid bills for
any language that might restrict chiropractic participation. Two
House committees and a Senate committee considered Medicaid reform
bills last week. A summary of fourth week bill actions is posted
on the FCA web site, in the members only section, in "Legislative
Updates" under "Government Issues."
For a complete
listing of bills that have had movement in the past two weeks, go
to the Members Only section of
www.fcachiro.org and see "Legislative Updates" under
"Government Issues." The first item will be "FCA Bill Report --
2005 Legislative Session Week Four."
Update #4 for the 2005 Session
 By
Jack Hebert, Director of Government Relations and Paul Lambert,
General Counsel
The
sixth week saw a little more action on bills that the FCA lobby is
watching.
Of particular interest was SB 838 which proposes the Medicaid
Reform Task Force recommendations, one of which was to delete the
direct access to chiropractic under the managed care portion of
Medicaid known as "MediPass." Sen.Dennis
Jones assisted the FCA in filing and passing an amendment in
committee preserving the direct access.
The
legislative committees continue to consider bills.
Bills addressing Medicaid reform continue to be filed and
considered by appropriate committees.
HB
695 is identical to SB 2556 and proposes to revive naturopathic
licensure in Florida.HB
695 was considered by the House Committee on Health Regulation and
passed by a vote of six to five.
The bill prohibits NDs from practicing chiropractic and would
allow DCs to be licensed as NDs with an additional two years of
accredited ND education.
SB 2556 has not been heard in any of its committees of reference.
The Florida Medical Association remains firmly opposed to reviving
licensure.
This
week will mark the end of regularly scheduled committee meetings
so that any bills which have not been heard in their referenced
committees by the end of the week will likely be dead.
The FCA continues to closely monitor the bills for any language
that might restrict chiropractic participation.
If
you want more in-depth information, you can bookmark
www.leg.state.fl.us.
After reading the bill report below, you can go to this web site
and read a bill, check voting records on it, read the committee
staff reports and more.
You can also check legislative schedules and committee meeting
agendas.
Bill Summary for Week Six
The following
bills are being monitored by the FCA, to seek improvement in their
effect on chiropractic physicians and Floridians seeking
chiropractic care:
HB
0665 Relating to Physicians/Osteopathic Physicians, Sponsored by
Rep.Farkas
Action to Date: Passed out of House Health Care Regulations
Committee, 6 Yeas, 4 Nays; Now resides in House Judiciary
Committee.
(HB 0665 & SB 0972 require allopaths and osteopaths to carry
malpractice insurance and prohibits them from "going bare.")
HB
0695 Relating to Naturopathic Medicine, Sponsored by Rep.Bowen.
Action to Date: Passed out of House Health Care Regulation
Committee, 6 Yeas, 5 Nays; On the agenda for 04/15/05 Health Care
Appropriations Committee; Not Received by Health Care
Appropriations.
(HB 695 is identical to SB 2556 & proposes to revive naturopathic
licensure.The
bill prohibits NDs from practicing chiropractic and would allow
DCs to be licensed as NDs with an additional two years of
accredited ND education.
SB 2556 has not been scheduled to be heard in any of its
committees of reference.)
SB
0838 Relating to Medicaid, Sponsored by Sen.Peaden.
Action to Date: Passed out of Senate Health Care Committee, 10
Yeas, 0 Nays; Now in Senate Ways and Means; Not yet Considered by
Ways and Means.
(SB 830 was filed as a "shell bill" to preserve a bill slot.A
proposed committee substitute for the bill was published on April
6 proposing reforms to Medicaid recommended by the Medicaid Reform
Taskforce.
The bill had a provision amending out the current direct access to
DCs and podiatrists in the Medipass program.In
committee this 6th week, Sen.Dennis
Jones sponsored an amendment drafted by the FCA to preserve the
direct access language.The
amendment was adopted.)
SB
0940 Relating to Repeated Medical Malpractice, Sponsored by Sen.Peaden.
Action to Date: Passed out of entire Senate, 35 Yeas, 3 Nays.
(HB 1739 and SB 940 implement the "3 strikes and you are out"
constitutional amendment applicable to allopaths.)
HB
0967 Relating to Offenses Involving Insurance, Sponsored by Rep.Cannon.
Action to Date: Passed out of House Insurance Committee, 15 Yeas,
0 Nays; Passed out of House State Administration Appropriations
Committee, 11 Yeas, 0 Nays; Now in Commerce Council.
(HB 967 & SB 2330 require licensed clinics (non-doctor owned
clinics) to put signs up advising patients that the Division of
Insurance Fraud offers rewards of up to $25,000 for information
leading to arrest and conviction of insurance fraud.)
HB
1081 Relating to Discount Medical Plan Organizations, Sponsored by
Rep.Berfield.
Action to Date: Passed out of House Health Care General, 12 Yeas,
0 Nays; Passed out of House State Administration Appropriations, 9
Yeas, 0 Nays; Now in House Commerce Council.
(HB 1081 & SB 2214 make changes to the little used statute
authorizing "discount medical plans." These
plans are not insurance and are not regulated by the insurance
statutes.These
plans sign up doctors to provide services at a discount.
The doctors collect fees directly from the patients.)
HB
1149 Relating to Insurance Administrators, Sponsored by Rep.Clarke.
Action to Date: Passed out of House Business Regulation, 18 Yeas,
0 Nays.
(HB1149 & SB1432 propose tighter regulatory controls on insurance
administrators a/k/a "third party administrators.")
HB
1337 Relating to Health Insurance Study, Sponsored by Rep.Homan.
Action to date: Referred to House Insurance (CC), Health Care
Regulation (HFC), Commerce Council; Passed out of House Insurance
as Committee Substitute by Insurance, 18 Yeas, 0 Nays.
(HB 1337 & SB 1432 make it easier for health insurers to offer
high deductible policies.High
deductible health policies to work in conjunction with health
savings accounts will have a positive impact on chiropractic
physicians.Watch
bill and amendments.)
HB
1503 Relating to Health Insurance, Sponsored by Rep.Farkas.
Action to date: Passed out of House Insurance Committee as CS by
Insurance, 19 Yeas, 0 Nays; CS passed by House Health Care
General, 12 Yeas, 0 Nays.
(HB 1503 adds more regulatory authority to the Office of Insurance
Regulation over approval of health flex plans and expands
eligibility for participation in health savings accounts.)
HB
1651 Relating to Chiropractic Education, Sponsored by Rep.Patterson.
Action to date: Referred to House Health Care Regulation (HFC),
Education Appropriations (FC), Health & Families Council; Passed
out of House Health Care as CS by Health Care Regulation, 8 Yeas,
0 Nays.
(SB 2640 is identical to HB 1651 & exempts the DC College clinics
(not just Palmer) from clinic licensure and exempts faculty from
Ch.460
licensure while teaching in a college clinic.The
bill authorizes students to be registered with the Board of
Chiropractic Medicine as an intern eligible to work in a college
based clinic.SB
2640 has not been heard in any of its committees of reference.SB
2640 has not been scheduled to be heard in any of its committees
of reference.)
HB
1739 Relating to Medical Malpractice, by House Judiciary
Committee.
Action to date: Passed out of House Health & Families Council as
CS by Health & Families council, 9 Yeas, 0 Nays; Placed on House
Calendar.
(HB 1739 and SB 940 implement the "3 strikes and you're out"
constitutional amendment applicable to allopaths.)
SB
1800 Relating to Health Maintenance Organizations, by Senate
Banking and Insurance.
Action to Date: Remains on Senate Banking and Insurance Agenda,
not yet considered.
(SB1800 & HB 1883 propose to require HMOs to be responsible for
failure by administrators a/k/a "third party administrators" in
complying with the "prompt pay statute." The
FCA is working to make sure that the third party administrators
are required to provide an explanation of benefits with
reimbursement checks.)
SB
2214 Relating to Discount Medical Plan Organizations, by Sen.Saunders.
Action to Date: Passed out of Senate Banking and Insurance
Committee as CS by Banking and Insurance, 8 Yeas, 0 Nays; Now is
Senate Health Care Committee.
(HB 1081 & SB 2214 make changes to the little used statute
authorizing "discount medical plans." These
plans are not insurance and are not regulated by the insurance
statutes.These
plans sign up doctors to provide services at a discount.The
doctors collect fees directly from the patients.)
SB
2330 Relating to Offenses Involving Insurance, by Sen.Alexander.
Action to Date: Passed out of Senate Banking & Insurance as CS by
Banking and Insurance, 10 Yeas, 0 Nays; Now in Senate Health Care
Committee.
(HB 967 & SB 2330 require licensed clinics i.e., non-doctor owned
clinics to put signs up advising patients that the Division of
Insurance Fraud offers rewards of up to $25,000 for information
leading to arrest and conviction of insurance fraud.)
|
