Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On January 15, 2019, Rep. Santiago (R) filed HB 271, a comprehensive bill on numerous pharmacy issues, prior authorization, and fail first/step therapy protocols. Many of the provisions of the bill are likely to be problematic for health insurers, HMOs, and PBMs. Some of the major components of…
By: Greenberg Traurig The House Health Market Reform Subcommittee met on January 10, 2019 to discuss the overview of the roles and responsibilities of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and a brief overview of the Medicaid program. The meeting packet can be found here. AHCA Overview Deputy Secretary of the Division…
By: Greenberg Traurig The Senate Health Policy Committee met on January 7, 2019 to hear: Medicaid Update – Agency for Health Care Administration and Opioid Update – Department of Health. The meeting packet can be found here. Medicaid Update – Agency for Health Care AdministrationDeputy Secretary for Medicaid Beth Kidder Summary Ms. Kidder went over…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On November 5, 2018, the Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board (FHIAB or Board), chaired by Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier, met via conference call for an initial discussion of eight legislative proposals submitted by Board members for the 2019 legislative session. The Board advises various state agencies and the Legislature…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) is holding a second rule development workshop on proposed rules relating to the registration of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) by OIR. The workshop is set for September 12, 2018. The first workshop was held in May 2018. A copy of the latest…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Bills related to the health insurance issues of direct primary care (HB 37) and pharmacy benefit managers (HB 351) take effect on July 1, 2018. Both bills were passed during the 2018 legislative session. Direct Primary Care BillHB 37 specifies that a direct primary care agreement is…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Sha’Ron James, Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate (ICA), recently released the report of the Emergency Medical Transportation Working Group. The Group was formed in 2016 by the ICA to assess the impact of air and ground emergency transportation costs to consumers in Florida. The Group was composed of stakeholders…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Governor Scott signed two health insurance related bills on March 23, 2018: HB 37, the direct primary care bill, and HB 351, the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) bill. Direct Primary Care BillHB 37 specifies that a direct primary care agreement is not insurance and is not subject to the…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 37 defines and establishes parameters on direct primary care. The bill passed the House on January 25, 2018 with a vote of 97-10 and passed the Senate on March 8, 2018 with a vote of 38-0. The bill now goes to Governor Rick Scott for approval. We…