Healthcare Concerns
Healthcare for Floridians was among my major priorities during the session. Though we were able to provide funding for many basic health services during a tough budget year, I am deeply disappointed by cuts to programs which serve our most vulnerable residents.I am thrilled that legislation was approved to crack down on the corrupt "pill mills" operating around the state. Pain clinics, especially in South Florida, attract patients from all over the country who come to abuse our state’s system. To curb this problem, we worked to increase regulation for pain clinics and for physicians who own or work in such clinics. Criminal and financial penalties were added to the law to give law enforcement and prosecutors needed tools to crack down on this growing problem.
Much of this session’s healthcare discussions, however, focused on some members’ desire to block certain requirements under the new federal health care reform law. To my dismay, a proposed constitutional amendment on this issue will appear on this November's ballot.
The topic of women’s reproductive rights surfaced in the final days of the session. I opposed a final version of House Bill 1143, which included two controversial components: a statutory ban on health insurance “mandates” and a provision that requires a woman to undergo and view an ultrasound before having an abortion during the first trimester. I am hopeful that Governor Charlie Crist vetoes this legislation.
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