Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel House and Senate committees advanced bills prohibiting balance billing by air ambulances during meetings on January 21, 2020. Under current law, air ambulances are still allowed to balance bill consumers. In contrast, balance billing by out-of-network health care providers for emergency or nonemergency services was abolished in 2016. Senate…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Issues related to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and other drug issues appear to be a hot issue for the 2020 Legislative Session with nine bills filed on this topic, some of which conflict with each other and most of which are detrimental to health plans even though the alleged…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 1205 deals with disclosures from health care providers to patients when the cash price for a covered medical service is cheaper than the patient’s cost sharing obligation under health insurance. The bill is one of a large number of House health care reform bills designed to further Speaker…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On January 21, 2020, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill sponsored by its Chair, Sen. Simmons (R), to increase the salary of the Judges of Compensation Claims (JCCs). The bill was not amended and had no debate. It has two committees left. There is no House companion…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 1510 during its meeting on January 21, 2020 with a strike all amendment. The amended bill repeals the appellate jurisdiction of circuit courts for appeals of most cases from county courts. Under the bill, most appeals from the county courts will go…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A priority issue for the FIC Property Insurance Committee started moving in the Senate on January 21, 2020 when the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee approved SB 914 with a party line vote of 5-3. The originally filed bill repealed the contingency risk multiplier used in property insurance…
2020 Health Insurance Bills Pre-Session Summary.pdf
2020 PC Insurance Bills Pre-Session Summary.pdf
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A bill mandating health insurance coverage for children with hearing loss from birth through 21 years of age passed its first committee on January 21, 2020 when the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee approved SB 1006 without amendment. According to the bill sponsor, Sen. Baxley (R), the bill affects…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The OIR backed credit for reinsurance bill that incorporates substantive provisions from the 2017 Covered Agreement between the U.S. and the European Union (EU) passed its first Senate committee on January 21, 2020. SB 1376 was not amended. It enacts the 2019 changes to the NAIC Credit For Reinsurance…