Tallahassee Update
June 2009
Health Care: Gov. Crist Signs Two Bills on Access to Health Care
On June 10, 2009, Gov. Crist signed two bills intended to expand access to health care.
HB 675, the Alonzo Mourning Access to Health Care Act, provides that insurers that offer Medicare supplement coverage must make coverage available on a guaranteed-issue basis to an individual younger than age 65 who is eligible for Medicare by reason of disability or end-stage renal disease. Under federal law, only persons aged 65 or older are eligible for the coverage, but federal law does not preclude states from allowing the coverage for Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 years.
SB 1122 requires an insurer to make payments directly to a health care provider when the insured makes a written assignment of benefits, even if the health care provider does not have a contractual arrangement with the insurer. Prior to the enactment of SB 1122, health insurance policies could limit the ability of an insured to assign benefits for non-emergency services.
The bill was one of the more controversial health care bills of the 2009 legislative session. It was strongly supported by the Florida Medical Association and other health care groups as a means of improving access to health care. Health insurers opposed the bill because of concerns that it might reduce the incentives for providers to join preferred provider networks.
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