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From FAHU Lobbyist, Rhett O'Doski
Week 3 is done and we are closing in on the midway point of the sixty day legislative session. Front and center this week was a proposal to eliminate the salary tax credit that insurance companies currently can use for employees hired and retained within Florida. SB 378 by Senator Flores would eliminate the credit that has been in statute since 1987. Insurance companies across all lines of insurance take advantage of this credit and it is often cited as one of the compelling reasons to retain offices and employees in the State. And of course this is another idea that could lead to higher rates. The tax credit is applied against each company’s premium tax liability that is paid to the state. The premium tax is an allowable rate factor used in submitting rate filings. If the salary credit goes away and the premium tax liabilities go up, it is safe to assume rates will also. The bill passed 4-0 out of its first committee. The good news is, there is no House companion measure at this moment, however that is subject to change at any time.
Florida unit investigating Medicaid fraud gets high marks -
Florida is among one of the nation's top states in recovering money from health care providers suspected of Medicaid fraud, according to The Associated Press.
Data released earlier this month by the federal government shows that Florida's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered more than $165 million during the 2016 federal fiscal year.
That placed Florida second behind New York. Florida was 11th overall in the nation in the amount of convictions won by its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, according to information compiled by the federal government.
The state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit reports to Attorney General Pam Bondi but the costs are split between the state and federal government.
Federal authorities have called Florida, especially South Florida, one of the "hot spots for health care fraud" in the nation.
House budget panel passes shared savings insurance program -
The House Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee passed a bill requiring health insurers to create a “shared savings incentive program” to reward individuals who shop around for care.
The budget subcommittee attached an amendment to HB 449 providing the Office of Insurance Regulation $50,000 in recurring funds and $25,000 in nonrecurring funds to implement the program.
Bill sponsor Rep. Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, said he plans to file a number of substantive amendments to address stakeholder concerns before the bill heads to its final committee stop at the House Health & Human Services Committee.
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Nursing education regulations sent to House floor -
Rep. Cary Pigman’s “laundry list” of regulations for nursing education is headed to the House floor having passed its final House committee stop Thursday.
Among other things, HB 543 prevents nursing programs terminated by the Board of Nursing from reapplying for approval for three years and requires programs put on probation to notify its students and applicants of its status in writing.
He said the state had loosened regulations nearly ten years ago to address a shortage of nurses and now sees the need to restore some for “the right level of regulation.”
“What we hope to do with this legislation is reduce the number of [nursing program] graduates who come out and can’t pass their NCLEX [National Council Licensure Examination],” Pigman told the House Health & Human Services Committee.
A 47-page strike-all amendment which adds “clarifying language” to licensure programs within the Department of Health was adopted by the committee.
In response to questions from members, Pigman specified that there was no scope of practice increase included in the new version of the bill. When asked if the bill is now a “train,” slang for legislation that contains several provisions only loosely related, Pigman acknowledged there was a lot of new information but the bill is still addressing medical quality assurance.
Senate's medical marijuana bill at least 2 weeks way -
The chair of the Senate Health Policy Committee says they're at least two weeks away from voting on a medical marijuana bill, reports The Associated Press.
The committee held a workshop on Wednesday as it began to consider five bills to implement Amendment 2. Sen. Dana Young, R-Tampa, says there isn't a consensus on a framework for what might come out of the committee.
Amendment 2 was approved by 71 percent of voters last November. It took effect on Jan. 3 and allows higher-strength marijuana to be used for a wider list of medical ailments.
The Legislature and Department of Health have until July to revise current rules and must implement them by October. The Legislature's 60-day session ends May 5.
Florida’s unemployment rate remains at 5 percent -
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in February 2017, unchanged from the January 2017 rate, and unchanged from a year ago, according to the latest employment figures from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
There were 501,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 10,058,000. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in February.
Gov. Rick Scott announced that Florida businesses created 53,800 private-sector jobs in the first two months of 2017, bringing the total number of new jobs added since December 2010 to 1,346,200.
Earlier this month, Scott announced nearly 51,000 jobs were created in January alone.
For the 59th consecutive month, Florida’s annual job growth rate of 3.3 percent is exceeding the nation’s rate of 1.8 percent.
In the last year, 239,800 new jobs were created by businesses across the state.
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