Friday was a busy day for Rick Scott’s bill signing hand, bringing his signature to four key bills on health plan regulation, pharmacy substitutes for biologics, an ethanol mandate repeal, and local pension liability.
SB 1842 means that Florida will rely, at least temporarily, on the federal government to do rate reviews for many health plans — a move which relieves Florida from navigating a system created and enforced by the feds and which, according to Scott, remains “very fluid and uncertain” during this transition period. The bill further clarifies that provisions of the Florida Insurance Code apply unless it conflicts with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Scott, and the legislature, chose to defer to the federal government during a 2-year transition period to ensure compliance with the heavily-regulated health care law, and to ensure clarity for employers, insurers and consumers. These measures were highly controversial, passing the House 78-36 and the Senate 28-8 with 4 abstaining.
HB 365 makes it possible for pharmacists to offer substitutions of similar drugs for an emerging class of therapies called biologics, which according to Scott will create a “regulatory framework that will allow Floridians access to these new pharmaceutical products” while ensuring high quality health care. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Hudson, creates Florida’s first pathway under which pharmacists may substitute FDA-deemed “biosimilars” for prescribed biological products –much as they currently are able to do for generic substitutes of brand name drugs. Only Sen. Eleanor Sobel and Rep. Doc Renuart voted no on this measure.
HB 4001 repeals a state law requiring retail gasoline to include nearly 10 percent ethanol, but which is a mostly symbolic measure considering federal ethanol mandates remain in effect. Opponents to the bill feel that it sends the wrong message to the biofuel industry about doing business in Florida, however considering the actual impact of the bill is null, it should not take too big a chunk out of biofuels research or jobs in the state. Sponsored by Rep. Matt Gaetz, this bill attempts to undue a duplication of federal standards with the goal of reducing regulatory burdens on Florida businesses. It passed the House … and the Senate 36-4.
Finally, Scott signed SB 534, clarifying that the state coffers are not liable for covering shortfalls in local-government pensions. Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Brandes, this bill further requires a defined benefit system or plan to report certain information to the Department of Management Services, and requires plan sponsors to make certain information available online. It passed the Senate 22-18, and the House 71-45, mostly along party lines.
