DeSantis Signs Health Care Bills Focused on Workforce and Service Improvements

The new legislation aims to enhance health care access and quality for insured Floridians, but falls short in addressing the needs of the uninsured.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a $1.1 billion health care package designed to improve care for insured Floridians, with a focus on expanding the health care workforce and enhancing services for disabled, mental, and maternal-health patients.
The 'Live Healthy' legislative package includes measures to facilitate easier care shopping and to protect patients from medical debt lawsuits, but does not extend benefits to the quarter-of-a-million-plus uninsured residents in Florida.
Florida's refusal to expand Medicaid, despite evidence of its benefits, remains a contentious issue, with state leaders prioritizing improvements for those already covered.
Critics argue that the legislation overlooks the 'coverage gap,' leaving many without access to necessary health treatments, including cancer care.
The package has been praised for its potential to modernize Florida's health care system, but has also faced criticism for not addressing Medicaid expansion to aid the uninsured.