Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On April 18, 2017, the Florida Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association (FLAHIGA) bill, HB 307, was heard on the House floor. It should be voted on April 20th. The Senate bill is identical to the House bill and has one committee left. The bill:• Increases the FLAHIGA…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant The Florida Senate approved unanimously April 19 a package health insurers believe will allow physicians to override step therapy drug protocols at almost any time and also weaken prior authorization, both key tools in health care cost containment. The package (CS/SB 530) goes to the House, where a more limited…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 1063, the House bill repealing personal injury protection (PIP) and replacing it with mandatory bodily injury (BI) insurance, passed the Florida House on April 19, 2017 by a vote of 89-29. Rep. Grall addressed third party bad faith reform in her explanation of the bill on the House…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant Auto insurers could opt-out of the automobile preinsurance inspection program under a bill (SB 1316) approved by the Senate Transportation Committee on April 19. The Senate Banking & Insurance Committee passed it earlier and there is now one final committee stop in the Senate, Rules. The committee did adopt an…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On April 19, 2017, the full House passed the comprehensive workers’ compensation reform bill, HB 7085 with a vote of 82-37, mainly along party lines. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. The Senate companion bill, SB 1582, was heard in its last committee on April 19,…
By: Greenberg Traurig, FIC Lobbyist House Commerce approved a proposed committee bill for HB 1421 by Rep. Jamie Grant (R-Tampa) and Rep. Rene Plasencia (R-Titusville) on Wednesday. The measure was approved on a vote of 21 to 8 with Democrats voting against it. Rep. Richard Stark (D-Weston) was the lone Democrat casting a favorable vote.…
By: Greenberg Traurig, FIC Lobbyist Following several attempts in previous legislative sessions, HB 221 by Rep. Chris Sprowls (R-Clearwater) passed the Senate on Wednesday and is heading to the Governor. The bill, which establishes a regulatory framework for these entities and sets up various insurance coverage requirements, was approved on a vote of 36 to…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant St. Petersburg Sen. Jeff Brandes told the Florida Senate, matter-of-factly: “This is the transportation network companies bill we have been debating the last four years. That’s the bill.” Although members knew a lot more about the often turbulent issue, that understatement was all that was necessary for a 36-1 vote…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant The Florida Senate approved 37-0 on April 19 a bill (CS/SB 404), ratifying the 2016 manuals on workers’ compensation reimbursement levels for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. The House must also ratify the allowances if they are to take effect. The Senate-passed legislation will be sent to the House for…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant A bill sought by Nationwide Insurance Group and others to make it easier to transfer homeowners policies to an affiliated company was approved 38-0 by the Florida Senate April 19 and will soon go to Governor Rick Scott. The bill (CS/CS/HB 805) had cleared the House 113-0 on March 30.…