The Florida Chamber of Commerce today released its “Smarter Healthcare Coverage in Florida” plan, a seven-point comprehensive healthcare plan that “calls for bending the cost curve for Florida’s families and job creators by eliminating the $1.4 billion in hidden healthcare taxes.”
The Florida Chamber has opposed the Affordable Care Act that called for an expansion of Medicaid unless an alternative plan – “one that embraces private solutions with flexible steps to eliminate the $1.4 billion cost shift on Florida families and caps Florida’s Medicaid budget at 32 percent” – was also put in place.
“As Florida prepares to welcome six million new residents by 2030, Florida has an important opportunity to get healthcare coverage right,†said Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber. “As lawmakers consider ending the $1.4 billion cost shift on Floridians, the Florida Chamber is continuing to play an integral role in helping reform our state’s healthcare system.â€
The Florida Chamber’s Smarter Healthcare Coverage in Florida plan:
- Eliminates the expensive and burdensome $1.4 billion hidden tax on Florida’s families and businesses,
- Improves access to healthcare through innovation and an expanded field of healthcare professionals, and
- Produces better health and economic outcomes by reducing fraud, lawsuit abuse and inflated workers’ comp costs.
According to the press release, Floridians pay an additional $1.4 billion in hidden healthcare taxes to cover healthcare received by the uninsured. That’s about $2,000 on insured Floridians for every hospital stay to cover the cost of the uninsured. And, uninsured healthcare costs are expected to rise as the federal government ends funding for the Low Income Pool (LIP).
Florida Chamber’s Smarter Healthcare Coverage in Florida
- Limits the overall financial impact on the Medicaid budget to no more than 32 percent,
- Allows telemedicine to serve as an alternative healthcare delivery system, increasing the capacity and number of medical professionals by allowing nurse practitioners and physician assistants to practice to their fullest potential and decreasing Florida’s growing need for physicians by expanding medical residency positions, according to the chamber,
- Lawsuit Abuse Reform – long-standing issue for the Florida Chamber
- Workers’ Compensation – “Ensuring Florida’s workers’ comp system is fair and not inflated by trial lawyer tactics and other unnecessary costs will help lower the cost of doing business in Florida.”
- Eliminating Healthcare Fraud
- Step Therapy and Prior Authorization: Opposing current legislation that would undermine the use of prior authorization and step therapy protocols in Florida.
- Medicaid Managed Care: Opposing efforts to undermine the tenets of the managed care model – including the so-called ‘any willing provider’ provision.